Dominic Thiem hopes to play Abu Dhabi and Doha ahead of Australian Open, says he is not expecting "too much" of himself on his return

Dominic Thiem issued a positive update regarding his wrist injury on Monday. The Austrian revealed that he would not need surgery to solve the problem.

Thiem has been sidelined since June due to a wrist injury he suffered at the ATP 250 event in Mallorca. The Austrian withdrew from Wimbledon and also skipped his title defence at the US Open and Indian Wells.

Thiem's goal will now be to return to full fitness in time for the 2022 Australian Open. According to reports, the Austrian plans to return to the court at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi in December.

Thiem is also planning on playing the ATP 250 event in Doha in the first week of January in preparation for the Australian Open, which kicks off on January 17.

The 28-year-old said that he is looking to get some matches under his belt prior to the first Major of the year. However, he did admit that he is not placing too much pressure on himself to play at a high level.

"It's just about getting some matches in at a competitive level before January," Thiem said. "I wouldn't expect too much from myself."

Thiem is set to announce the results of his stress test as well as plans for his 2022 season at a press conference in Salzburg next Monday.

Dominic Thiem likely to drop out of the top 10

Dominic Thiem at the 2021 Mutua Madrid Open

Dominic Thiem's wrist injury kept him out of two consecutive Majors this year, having previously participated in 26 consecutive Grand Slam events. The Austrian's prolonged absence from the tour has impacted his ranking.

Thiem has fallen to No. 8 in the ATP rankings, but his slide is not set to end any time soon. He will drop 1000 ranking points after missing the defence of his Indian Wells title this week. As things stand, the 28-year-old could drop to at least ninth when the rankings are updated.

Thiem will also miss the ATP Finals later this year. The Austrian had qualified for the season-ending event in five consecutive years, and reached the finals in the last two editions.

With the likes of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and Hubert Hurkacz set to gain plenty of points over the next few weeks, it is likely that Thiem will fall out of the top 10 by the end of the season.