Taylor Fritz was full of praise for Dominic Thiem ahead of the Austrian’s retirement from tennis.
The World number seven is one of many who have issued tributes to the 31-year-old, who is due to hang up his racket after the Vienna Open.
Thiem will end his tennis career with 17 titles to his name, one of which is a Grand Slam, and is a former top three player in the world.
The Austrian was known for his destructive and explosive hitting which left crowds in awe and his opponents helpless at times.
But as injuries took their toll over the last three years, Thiem has decided to bid farewell to the sport has given so much to.
What did Taylor Fritz say about Dominic Thiem ahead of his retirement?
Dominic Thiem had a magnificent career and left a great impact on the sport, not only on fans but also his peers.
He contested some epic matches with the game’s best players and is one of the first players of a younger generation to consistently challenge, and at times beat Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
This is something Taylor Fritz alluded to when he paid tribute to the 2020 US Open champion. “I feel like he was one of the first guys to start to challenge the big names,” the American said via the ATP Tour website.
“He was playing in an era where Novak and Rafa and Fed were so unbeatable, and then Andy as well. He was one of the first guys to break through and start to beat those guys.
“The guy hit the ball so incredibly big. It was always unbelievable on clay, but towards the end there [before his injury] it started to be unbelievable on every surface.
“It was just so exciting to see what he was doing as a younger player, kind of showing us that yes, these guys were beatable, and leading the way for the next generation.”
What is Taylor Fritz’s head-to-head record against Dominic Thiem?
Throughout their careers Fritz played against Thiem on five occasions between 2017 and 2023.
The pair’s first two matches came at the US Open in 2017 and 2018, and Thiem claimed both wins in four sets.
Fritz registered his first win against Thiem at the 2019 Laver Cup, and the match went to a match tiebreak, which the American won 7-5 6-7(3), 10(5).
In their next match, Thiem beat Fritz 6-2 6-4 6-7(5) 6-4 at the 2020 Australian Open, and went on to reach the final.
However, Fritz claimed their final meeting in the 2023 Bavarian International in Munich, which booked him a place in the semi-finals.
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