Roger Federer praises Dominic Thiem for finding a way to beat him
10/24/2024 08:00 AM
Precisely against Roger Federer, the now former tennis player Dominic Thiem ended his career with an advantage in the head-to-head count with a surprising 5-2. Not only that: the Austrian was one of the few players able to beat the Big 3 on more than one occasion. Dom defeated Rafael Nadal six times and Novak Djokovic and the Swiss Maestro five times.
The most important victory probably dates back to 2019, when he managed to win the first ATP Masters 1000 TITLE of his career at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, beating Federer in the final in three sets.
Federer joked about his career defeats to Thiem, reminding everyone of the power of one of the most beautiful backhands on Tour. "An illustrious career comes to an end. Congratulations Domi. No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your powerful backhands. But most importantly, you did it with elegance and sportsmanship," he wrote on Instagram.
Roger Federer shares a beautiful message for Dominic Thiem after he retired today: “No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands 🚀 But more importantly, you did it with grace and sportsmanship.” 🥹 pic.twitter.com/A9lvnwDbAI
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 22, 2024
The Austrian said goodbye to tennis in front of his home crowd at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna and Federer himself wanted to dedicate a beautiful message to him through social media. The 31-year-old had to deal with a serious wrist injury and, since then, has not been able to express himself at his best.
No we really can’t cope with this 🥹#DankeDomi | @ErsteBankOpenpic.twitter.com/bCI7p0c1Om
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 22, 2024
Thiem ended his career at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna, defeated in two sets by Luciano Darderi in front of his home crowd. At the end of the match, the former winner of the 2020 US Open said goodbye to tennis with emotional words:
"Thank you so much to everyone. The last few weeks have been beautiful and intense, because I was preparing for this final act. Sunday was a beautiful farewell party. I thank you for following me and supporting me for all these years, even on long trips. I thank my family and my team for everything they have done. Thanks also to the club that hosts this tournament. I have traveled a lot, but you are the spectators to whom I am most attached. I am sorry that I have played little in Austria in the last seasons, but it was due to the injuries I had. Every match I played here was fantastic."
