Dominic Thiem has now joined Roger Federer in the retirement club after ending his tennis career.
The 2020 US Open winner played his final professional match on Tuesday evening at the Vienna Open, where he was beaten by Italy’s Luciano Darderi.
His home fans gave him a standing ovation and Thiem thanked the crowd for their support throughout his career.
The 31-year-old retired from tennis two years after Federer bid an emotional farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup at London’s O2 Arena.
Rafael Nadal is set to follow the Austrian, with the 22-time Grand Slam winner set to retire at November’s Davis Cup Finals.
Did Dominic Thiem speak to Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer before his retirement?
Dominic Thiem announced earlier in 2024 that this would be his final season as a professional tennis player.
He has been struggling with injuries since 2021 and despite his best efforts, he could not return to the electric form that saw him become one of the world’s best. Federer and Nadal each sent Thiem video messages paying tribute to him ahead of his retirement.
During an interview with Tennis Majors, the former World number three was asked if he has spoken to the iconic duo about leaving the sport and outlined one thing he hopes to do with his former rivals.
“I haven’t had the chance to do it yet, no,” Thiem said. “As I said, in tournaments, we really have too little time to really talk, especially since everyone is in competition mode.
“It’s not necessarily the kind of thing you want to talk about during a tournament. I hope that later, in a few years maybe, we can sit down and talk about it with all the players I’ve played against. It would be interesting.”
Dominic Thiem names a former sports star he has spoken to about retirement
Though he has not yet spoken to either Federer or Nadal about life after tennis, Thiem has had that conversation with someone else.
In fact, he is a former professional football player, who retired in July 2020 after winning the Premier League with Chelsea and the World Cup with Germany.
“The only person I’ve really discussed it with is André Schürrle, the German footballer, who is a good friend,” Thiem said. “He retired even younger than me, at 29.
“I was interested in knowing his experience, how the first few weeks after he stopped went for him. Because in the end, no matter what sport, it’s pretty much the same for everyone.
“He was really the one I wanted to call to talk about it. We talked about it for about half an hour on the phone. And he will be there for my farewell in Vienna.”
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