Dominic Thiem has officially retired from professional tennis after losing in the first round of the Vienna Open to Italy’s Luciano Darderi. This marks the end of an illustrious but injury-hit career for the 31-year-old Austrian, who won the US Open in 2020 ¹ ² ³ ⁴.
Thiem’s final match was an emotional one, with fans holding up Austrian flags and signs reading “Danke Dominic” ¹. He treated them to a few moments of his former brilliance, particularly on the backhand wing, but ultimately lost 7-6(6), 6-2 ¹ ⁴.
Thiem’s career was marked by notable achievements, including reaching three other major finals and ranking as high as world No. 3 ¹. He was known for his aggressive, heavy groundstrokes and destructive single-handed backhand, which earned him wins over each of the ‘Big Three’ – Nadal, Djokovic, and Federer ¹.
Fellow players paid tribute to Thiem, with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic appearing in a pre-recorded video message ¹. Federer also took to Instagram to praise Thiem’s sportsmanship and impressive backhand ¹.
Thiem’s retirement is a significant moment in tennis, and he will be remembered as one of the sport’s most talented players. As he said in his on-court speech, “Those emotions, those feelings. Being in the flow… These are the things that will never come back” ¹.
