The former US Open champion is retiring at the end of 2024, and his injury problems surfaced after competing against Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Dominic Thiem has spoken out about his injury nightmare, which forced him to retire early, and why Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal played a role.
The Austrian tennis great stated that he would retire at the end of the 2024 season, despite the fact that he will only be 31 in September.
Thiem has had a terrible run of ailments, with a recurring wrist problem, in particular, derailing his career just as he was reaching his peak.
He has won only one of his eight ATP Tour matches in 2024 and has dropped to 209th in the world rankings, which has contributed to his decision to retire from the sport after 13 years as a professional.
Ahead of his final Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, where he won his only Major against Alexander Zverev four years ago, Thiem reflected on how he tried to compete with the ‘Big Three’, losing the Australian Open final to Djokovic and two Roland Garros finals to Nadal, and came out worse as a result.
“It took a toll, especially as a mere mortal trying to compete with the sport’s three demigods [Federer, Nadal and Djokovic],” Thiem told The Athletic about his struggles. “That certainly contributed to the injury. I was battling against the three greatest of all time. That was intense.
“But, over the years, I’ve always had a heavy load and intensity in my practice. That’s what the doctor and many others said: that at one time, the wrist fractured as a result of all the shots I’d taken and all the hard work I’d put in over the years.
“I was always striving to get better and get even closer to the best players in the world.”
The 2020 US Open champion defeated Zverev in a grueling five-set match after falling behind two sets, with both players dead on their feet during the four-hour marathon.
Thiem admitted he knew it could be his best shot to win a Slam, which pushed him to recover even when Zverev served for the championship at 5-3 up in the third set.
“Every Grand Slam final felt like it could be the last one, because the journey is really tough,” says Thiem. “You have to beat great players and stay healthy.” Many, many minor things must come together.
“When I played Sascha, it felt like now or never. When I was two sets down, I was able to relax a little, and he began to realize that he was very close to winning.”
Thiem has limited chance of reaching the latter stages again at Flushing Meadows. However, with a planned final swansong in Vienna, Thiem’s career will end in areas where he has found joy.