Dominic Thiem has admitted that it is ‘not that difficult’ for him to retire from professional tennis, after the Austrian played his final ever Grand Slam match.Thiem was beaten by American No.2 Ben Shelton, 6-4 6-2 6-2, in the first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium at the 2024 US Open.Earlier this year Thiem revealed that this would be the final season of his career, with the 30-year-old playing his final Grand Slam match after receiving a wildcard for the tournament that he won back in 2020.
The former World No.3 has had a tough few years since winning the US Open due to a wrist injury, with Thiem suggesting that he is at peace with saying farewell to the ATP Tour.
“Once I took the decision this year in March, from this moment on, I was happy about it,” said Thiem. “I was also able to kind of prepare already this new chapter of what is coming soon.
“Honestly, I loved playing on tour, and I was very patient about it but I also always really enjoyed being home as much as possible and having a kind of a normal life at home. That’s why I think it’s not that difficult for me and that’s why I’m also happy with my decision.”
Thiem won 17 ATP titles in his career, including the US Open and Indian Wells, as well as collecting 16 victories over ‘the big three’ of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Despite Thiem seemingly being content with retiring as an active player, he admitted to still wanting to play a role in tennis going forward,
“I want to stay in tennis, of course,” said Thiem. “We have our academy in Austria and it would be amazing if players from there are coming through one day and also competing in tournaments like US Open or the biggest tournaments in the world. This would be really, really nice, and would be also the goal.”
It is not the end for Thiem just yet, as he will play at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event in Frankfurt, before saying a final goodbye at his home ATP tournament in Vienna in October.
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Inside the baseline…Although Dominic Thiem was able to put a respectable performance in, it was always going to be more about the farewell given his opponent was Ben Shelton, someone who will have aspirations of going very deep in the US Open once again. It has been a tough few years for Thiem with a wrist injury really bringing his career to a halt, but it is nice to hear him sound so content about saying goodbye to the ATP Tour.READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic ‘expecting to be challenged’ after making US Open history
