Just two days before Dominic Thiem plays what could well be the final match of his tennis career, he faced Alexander Zverev in an exhibition to honour his career.
The Austrian star is one of many superstars who have called time on their playing days this year, and as such his retirement may well go under the radar.
After all, many thought it would be hard to beat Andy Murray’s breaking news back in July, before Rafael Nadal announced his retirement last week to blow that out of the water.
These star-studded revelations should not detract from the fine career Thiem enjoyed, which also included one Grand Slam title as well.
Coco Gauff has responded to one comment now made by the injury-ravaged 31-year-old, but instead of praising him for a brilliant career, she is instead agreeing with a rather sad outlook on the sport.
Coco Gauff reacts to Dominic Thiem’s Grand Slam comments
Reposting to her Instagram story, the American tennis superstar, who won the US Open title in 2023, sought to echo the sentiments of Thiem.
Her response simply read ‘Real’, and was in response to the following statement made by the retiring ace. It read: ‘I thought winning a Grand Slam would change my life forever. It didn’t.
‘Honestly, when I look back, I realize that I gave it too much importance. I thought it would make me happy forever, that it would change my life.. but that’s not how it is. It’s an illusion.
‘The truth is that nothing changed. And honestly, if in 20 years, I’m still here, no one will care if I was a Grand Slam champion or not. At that moment, I didn’t think that way. I thought that if I didn’t win a Grand Slam, my career wouldn’t be good, and I would always have doubts. It wasn’t an easy situation. It’s very nice to have that trophy at home, but in the end, it’s just a trophy.
‘It shouldn’t make a difference in life. That’s how I see it now.’
It seems that Gauff shares the same sentiment regarding a major title and how it has provided additional burden rather than the wealth of opportunities many hope it will bring.
Dominic Thiem leaves a great legacy in retirement
Although these Thiem comments might be somewhat sad, few can deny the remarkable career he enjoyed.
It’s a testament to his talent that he remains one of the most successful players when facing the Big Three, albeit all still losing records.
However, his 6 wins against Rafael Nadal from their 16 meetings, five wins from 12 meetings against Novak Djokovic, and positive record against Roger Federer, having won five from seven matches, deserve huge praise.
He added the 2020 Grand Slam title to his legacy as well, having reached the Roland Garros final in 2018 and 2019, as well as the Australian Open final in 2020.
Thiem was a supremely gifted player whose career was hampered relentlessly by injuries, and the Big Three all offered tributes to Thiem recently too.
Hopefully, the 20-year-old American can put aside this negative outlook and win a few more majors to find the true meaning of such success. She certainly has the talent, with Gauff already thriving with her new coach.
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