Dominic Thiem is an Austrian professional tennis player, currently ranked 210 on the ATP World rankings. In the past, he ranked as high as No.3 in 2020 and also won his first grand slam. However, earlier, he announced that he would be retiring from the sport at the end of the 2024 season. He also reportedly claims Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal contributed to his injury, leading to his early retirement. So, let’s take a closer look at the details of Thiem’s injury and his retirement after the US Open.
What injury did Dominic Thiem suffer from?
Dominic Thiem suffered from a recurring wrist injury.
Thiem redeemed himself when he won the US Open in 2020 after facing Alexander Zverev in the final. However, his journey thereon went slightly downhill. His recurring wrist injury majorly contributed to his decreased performance in games. However, he also claims that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal contributed to his injury getting worse.
He told The Athletic in an interview, “It took a toll, especially as a mere mortal trying to compete with the sport’s three demigods (R. Nadal, R. Federer and N. Djokovic). That contributed to the injury, definitely. I was competing with the three greatest of all time. That was intense.”
Further, he added about his injury, saying, “But also, all the years before, I always had a big load and intensity in my practice. That’s something the doctor and many other people said: that at one point, the wrist broke because of all the shots I did, all the hard practice I did all those years before.”
Is Dominic Thiem retiring from tennis?
Yes, Dominic Thiem retires from playing tennis after his first-round loss at the US Open 2024.
As announced by him earlier, Thiem retires from the sport after his loss against Ben Shelton in the US Open first round at Flushing Meadows. After the game, Thiem spoke to his fans, getting emotional and thanking them for their support. “First thank you so much for all your support all those years. It’s been 10 years since I first played here. It’s actually really important moment for me. I had my greatest success here on this court in this weird 2020 in very strange and different circumstances,” he said as he recalled his 2020 US Open victory.
“Unfortunately, I had this success without any of you. It was an amazing moment but also pretty sad. I’m super happy I got the chance to play my last US Open match on this court. I can now spend some time with you guys… I’m really grateful for everyone who came to watch me play here one last time,” he added.
