Dominic Thiem has named the greatest match he has played in his career.
The 31-year-old reflected on his playing days after he retired from competition on home soil at the Vienna Open.
He retired with 17 titles to his name, one of which was the US Open, which he was able to win in 2020 after defeating Alexander Zverev.
Thiem played in some spectacular matches throughout his career, but there is one that stands out to him above the rest.
What does Dominic Thiem think is his best ever match?
Dominic Thiem contested some of the best matches of the last decade against the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. It was one of his matches against the Serbian that Thiem named as his best performance.
After losing his first five matches against Djokovic, the former World number three won five of his next seven contests. One of these battles took place at the 2019 ATP Finals.
Thiem came from behind to win an epic encounter 6-7(5) 6-3 7-6(5), and he has named this victory as his greatest performance. This was made all the more remarkable given how he was feeling on the morning of the match.
“I think against Novak in 2019 in the [ATP] Finals in London. I would always say when I get asked that this was the best I ever played,” Thiem told UTS.
“I woke up sick actually and I think that gave me a little bit of looseness to let go. I was in great shape playing-wise back then and I was loosening up a little bit as I said.
“Anyway, I only wanted to go on court and not get sicker and then I started to play loose and looser than ever before or after and the outcome was just amazing and it really was enjoyable.”
Dominic Thiem cherishes moments playing against the ‘Big Three’ in his career
Some of Thiem’s most memorable moments are his matches against Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Thiem played a combined 35 matches against the ‘Big Three’ and won 16, including wins against Nadal and Djokovic at Grand Slams.
After playing his final professional match in Vienna, Thiem expressed how grateful he was to have contested matches against three of the game’s greatest players.
“[It’s] very high up there. All the matches against the ‘Big Three’, not only the wins but all the matches, because I grew up watching them on TV,” Thiem told ATPTour.com.
“I remember the first match I really set my schedule for [to watch] was the 2005 Roland Garros semi-final, Federer against Nadal.
“All of a sudden, I was playing against all those guys. All the matches against them were an amazing experience and I’m very proud that I had so many of them.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
