Dominic Thiem gave tennis a last emotional farewell

08/27/2024 02:00 PM

The farewell is near and the great emotions that Dominic Thiem is feeling are now starting to be outlined publicly. In the draw with a wild card, the Austrian lost in the first round of the US Open against Ben Shelton.

Thiem won the first and only Slam of his career in New York in 2020. Naturally. Dom shared his great emotion in the press conference, after what was the Austrian tennis player's last match in a Grand Slam tournament.

"I was able to concentrate pretty well on the match. But everything was a little bit different. I tried to enjoy every moment in this stadium. It was really nice," said Thiem, who then explained how he came to the decision to retire:

"I'm happy, it's been tough in the last few years, I couldn't get back to my level, but once I made the decision this year in March I was happy about it. I enjoyed playing on the tour for a long time, now I'm looking forward to normal life coming. I think it's not that difficult for me because I'm really happy with my decision. In tennis you travel a lot, right now I don't want to travel anymore."

Thiem, who will end his career at the ATP Vienna, analyzed what he will miss most about the tennis Tour and life on it.

"I think the thing I will miss the most is the feeling after winning a big match, it's not really comparable to anything else," he said.

The Austrian tennis player then revealed what led him to retire and what he will do after the farewell.

"My forehand hasn't returned to the way it used to be, because of that I've also had mental difficulties. But the main reason is the wrist problem. But I'm happy with my career and I have no regrets. The aftermath? I want to delve deeper into the sustainability issue related to solar energy. We have our own academy in Austria and it would be great if players from there could compete at the US Open and the most important tournaments in the world," he explained.

Dominic then said he hasn't heard from his rival Rafael Nadal for a long time: "The last time I saw him was in Brisbane in January. I was in Mallorca in March but he wasn't there."