Austria's Dominic Thiem, beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2020, has decided to skip the Australian Open starting on January 17.

He has been working his way back to full fitness after a serious elbow injury and will instead start his season at the end of January in Argentina.

"I will not play this year at the Australian Open in Melbourne, a city that I love and where I have great memories of unforgettable matches in front of amazing crowds," Thiem wrote on Twitter.

"I will miss the Australian fans but I will be back in 2023."

The 2020 US Open champion is one of a number of high-profile names to miss the first grand slam of the year.

Roger Federer is out after knee surgery with Serena Williams also absent through injury along with a raft of other stars.

Nine-time champion Novak Djokovic is yet to announce if he will attend after organizers said competitors must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

Rafael Nadal is a slight doubt after being among a number of top players in the men's and women's game to test positive for COVID. However, organizers say they expect the Spaniard to play.

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