Dominic Thiem shared his thoughts on if he wants to take up another role in tennis after retiring.
Thiem’s career came to an end at the Vienna Open, his home tournament, after losing to Italy’s Luciano Darderi on Tuesday.
He was given a thunderous ovation by the Austrian crowd as he thanked them for their support over the years, before hanging up his racket.
Following a successful career that ended prematurely due to injuries, Dominic Thiem is now focused on life after tennis, but will he be tempted into a new role within the sport at some point?
Does Dominic Thiem want to become a tennis coach?
Professional athletes deal with retirement from their respective sports in different ways.
Some choose to leave the spotlight and live a more private life, while others want to stay involved by going into coaching or becoming a commentator.
Thiem was asked about this during an interview with Tennis Majors, and while he shut down one of these options, he did not rule out the other.
“I don’t know what will happen in the future but for now, no, I don’t plan to come back to coaching on the circuit, because I’m a little tired of travelling,” the 2020 US Open winner said.
“It’s true that my career and my experiences could be very useful to young players, especially between 15 and 20-21 years old, at the time of the transition between juniors and professionals. On that, I have a lot to share.
“I’m not someone who blossomed very quickly, like Carlos Alcaraz or others. For me, it took time. I had to suffer a lot to get there, and my case could serve as an example. As for commentating matches for television, I don’t know, we’ll see.”
Dominic Thiem shares the extent of his injuries that forced him to retire from tennis
Thiem was flying high at the beginning of the 2021 season following an impressive 2020 when he won his only Grand Slam at the US Open.
But in June 2021 he was forced to cut his season short after suffering a wrist injury and did not play again until the Serbia Open in April 2022.
Since then the former World number three had been hampered by injury and despite his best efforts, he was unable to return to his best form, which was difficult for him to process.
“Afterwards, my wrist was never the same again,” Thiem admitted. “No longer the same strength, no longer the same stability, no longer the same sensations… It took me a while to accept the fact that I was chasing a version of myself that no longer existed.
“My career has nevertheless been incredible. I could perhaps have continued. But I have never particularly liked the life of a tennis player. Leading this life only makes sense to me if it is to be at the top.”
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