Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all took time to send a message to Dominic Thiem ahead of his retirement.
The 31-year-old has been forced to cut his career short due to a serious wrist injury that left him unable to rediscover his best tennis.
At his peak Dominic Thiem was one of tennis’ most dangerous players and fans enjoyed watching his dynamic and exciting game.
He gave the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal some of the toughest matches of their respective careers and enjoyed his fair share of wins against the iconic trio.
What did Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal say to Dominic Thiem ahead of his retirement?
Thiem is set to end his tennis career as a Grand Slam champion following his heroic US Open title win in 2020. He claimed 17 titles and reached a career ranking of number three in the world.
This is all the more impressive given he was competing in an era with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic at the top of their game. The tennis world was left saddened following the announcement of Thiem’s retirement in May.
Ahead of his final tournament Thiem received the Lotterien Sporthilife-Gala 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award and during the presentation, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal appeared on screen to pay tribute to their former rival.
“Tennis will miss you very, very much,“ said Federer in German, while also explaining how much he values his friendship with Thiem. Nadal added: “Hey Domi, how are you doing? I just want to congratulate you for this lifetime achievement award.
“Very well deserved, very happy for you, you know how much I admire you, and respect you so I wish you all the best, enjoy tonight and see you around.”
Djokovic also said: “I wish you a great tournament, with all family members present and celebrating it, you deserve it my friend, all the best.”
When is Dominic Thiem going to retire from tennis?
During his retirement announcement, Thiem confirmed he will play the final tournament of his career in his home country of Austria at the Vienna Open.
Thiem will aim to end his career by winning his home tournament for the second time, after his first triumph came in 2019.
Thiem is hoping to say farewell to tennis by having a strong run in Vienna, but is unsure how long he will be able to maintain a good level of tennis.
“My journey has been sensational, both in sports and personally,” he told Austrian publication Heute. “I want to play at a decent level in Vienna. My problem is that my level drops quickly if I don’t play much. I realised this after Kitzbühel.”
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