Dominic Thiem announced in a video that 2024 will be his last season on Tour. He said, “The season 2024 is gonna be my last one. There are some reasons behind it. Firstly, my wrist is not exactly the way it should be and it’s not exactly the way how I wanted. The second reason is my inner feeling. I was thinking about this decision for a very long time.”
It was so unfortunate that the injury happened to him when he was at his peak and was one of the best players in the world. It seemed like he still had multiple years of great tennis ahead of him. When he got injured in 2021, no one would have thought his injury was so severe that it would eventually force him to retire.
This decision doesn’t come as a surprise as Thiem has been lingering around the Top 100 for the last 12-18 months and whatever he changed about his game due to the surgery hasn’t been working for him. The last few years have been agony for him and his fans–hope followed by disappointment. It must be demoralizing for a player to be so far away from his best with no realistic chance of ever remotely coming back to that level. Thiem tried his best, playing challengers and other small events but his level never arrived.
A Career To Be Proud Of
Thiem was amazing to watch, had a personality and was very talented. And despite getting cut short by injuries, he still had a career most players dream of. 17 titles including a Grand Slam, Masters 1000 title and reaching the world No.3 in rankings is commendable. A very successful career that he can be proud of.
The Austrian had one of the best one-handed backhands in the game. It’s such a shame that he could never win Roland Garros as his peak on clay was devastating. 4-5 years ago he was the biggest threat to the Big 3. His head-to-head against them is nothing short of amazing and should be mandatory viewing for every new tennis fan.
It’s hard for tennis fans and his fans in particular to see him retire at only 30 years of age but there are so many great matches and achievements to appreciate from his career. Dominic Thiem and his career will be remembered as a bright spot in tennis, someone who played hard and fair and was a good human being overall. Hopefully, he will enjoy his new life after tennis.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane/USA Today Sports
