Dominic Thiem retired from tennis with defeat at this year’s Vienna Open after years of injury struggles.
Dominic Thiem announced his retirement from tennis earlier this year and played his final tournament this week at his home Vienna Open.
Fans cheered on Dominic Thiem on an emotional night for the Austrian, who retired from tennis after a valiant 7-6, 6-2 defeat to Italian rising star Luciano Darderi.
The decision to retire came after years of injury struggles for Thiem, who was never quite able to recover from a wrist injury back in 2021.
Thiem reached four Grand Slam Finals in his career, winning the US Open in 2020 against his close friend Alexander Zverev.
The Austrian reached a career-high of number three in the world, but with his continued injury struggles, fell outside the world’s top 300 in 2024, managing just one ATP Tour win.
Thiem isn’t the only tennis star to have had a promising career ruined by injury, however.
Five ATP stars who had their careers derailed by injury
With Thiem’s career ending at 31 years old due to his injury problems, here are five more ATP stars who could’ve achieved so much more if their bodies hadn’t them.
Juan Martin Del Potro
Juan Martin Del Potro is perhaps the biggest ‘what if’ of the 21st century on the ATP Tour.
Standing at 6ft 6, with some of the most powerful groundstrokes the game had ever seen, the Argentine was a nightmare matchup for anyone to come up against.
Del Potro won the 2009 US Open beating Roger Federer in a five-set battle in New York, ending Federer’s six-year unbeaten run at Flushing Meadows.
With the world at his feet, things quickly unravelled for Del Potro however, as his first wrist injury struck just a year later.
Years of injury woes followed for the former world number three, who never managed to stay fit long enough to fulfil his massive potential.
Kei Nishikori
Perhaps not quite as highly rated as Del Potro, Kei Nishikori was one of the most consistent players on the ATP Tour during the mid-late 2010’s.
The Japanese star reached 10 Grand Slam quarter-finals or better in five years, becoming a mainstay in the second week of the four biggest tournaments of the year.
At the 2014 US-Open Nishikori knocked out both Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic on route to the final where he eventually came up short against Marin Cilic.
The turn of the decade wasn’t kind to Nishikori however, as he has been plagued by injuries ever since.
The worst of which came in 2022 when hip surgery saw him side-lined for over a year, quickly followed by a foot injury which saw him out for another four months.
Maybe Nishikori wasn’t destined for Grand Slam glory, but if he could’ve stayed fit there were some big titles in his future.
Milos Raonic
Milos Raonic reached the Wimbledon final in 2016 and looked to be one of the most promising players on tour.
A massive server, heading into some of his prime years it looked certain that Raonic would contend for many more Slams in the near future.
A long list of injuries that began in 2017 meant that this success never materialized for the Canadian, who soon found himself tumbling down the rankings.
His injuries became too much in 2021, when following a number of injuries to his calf and right leg, Raonic took an extended hiatus from the sport.
Seemingly ‘off-grid’, fans didn’t know if they’d ever see Raonic play again, before his return in 2023, where he has finally found some fitness and is seemingly heading back towards the world’s top 100.
Robin Soderling
Yes, it’s not technically an injury, but the story of Robin Soderling is one of the toughest there is.
The man who beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, making two French Open finals, looked set to be a threat in Paris for a long time.
However, Soderling’s health rapidly declined just two short years after his legendary victory over Nadal, as he was diagnosed with mononucleosis.
He later revealed that he suffered from persistent anxiety and panic attacks, and the Swede played his last professional tennis match at just 26 years of age.
Rafael Nadal
It might seem crazy to consider Rafael Nadal’s career as ‘derailed by injury’, but despite his 22 Grand Slam titles, it isn’t far from the truth.
There aren’t many seasons of the Spaniard’s career that he didn’t suffer from a somewhat serious injury.
His fast-paced style may have increased his injury proneness, but it goes without saying that Nadal had his fair share of bad luck.
Injuries didn’t always stop him, however, as he received anaesthetic injections in his ankle, on his way to winning the 2022 French Open title.
Further injuries in 2023 and 2024 were too much for the Spaniard, and he is set to retire from the sport after this year’s Davis Cup Finals.
Does the ATP Tour have an injury problem?
Whilst injuries in any sport are inevitable, questions are starting to be asked whether the ATP tour in particular has a problem.
Tennis’ schedule has come under a lot of questioning in recent times, with events such as the recent Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia adding to an already packed calendar.
Whilst players aim to prioritize events such as the Grand Slams and Masters 1000s, they can’t be blamed for taking time out of their busy schedule to take part in exhibition events such as the Six Kings Slam which had the largest prize fund in the sport’s history.
There is only a certain amount of tennis that the human body can withstand, however, with more exhibition events appearing on tour every year, the likelihood of some of the tour’s biggest stars suffering a similar fate to Dominic Thiem, is only going to grow.
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