Dominic Thiem, U.S. Open winner in 2020, has secured a place in the main draw of the Australian Open after the withdrawal of Reilly Opelka, the tournament organisers confirmed on Friday.

Thiem, who lost to Rafal Nadal 7-5 6-1 in the first round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday, will now enter the first round of the Australian Open which begins on Jan. 14 and avoids the qualifiers.

The 30-year-old Austrian broke the Grand Slam stranglehold of Roger Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic by winning the 2020 U.S. Open but a wrist injury the following year sidelined him for months.

Thiem also reached the Australian Open final in 2020, losing to Djokovic. Now ranked 98th, Thiem won his first match at a Grand Slam since 2021 at the U.S. Open in August last year before losing to Alexander Bublik in the second round. REUTERS