Dominic Thiem has opened up about the injury struggles that forced him to consider early retirement and revealed how Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal contributed to his challenges.
The Austrian tennis star announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2024 season, even though he will only turn 31 in September. Thiem has been plagued by a series of unfortunate injuries, particularly a recurring wrist problem that disrupted his career just as he was reaching his peak. As he prepares for his final Grand Slam tournament at the US Open—where he won his sole Major title against Alexander Zverev four years ago—Thiem reflected on his attempts to compete with the ‘Big Three,’ including losses in the Australian Open final against Djokovic and two Roland Garros finals against Nadal, and how those battles took a toll on him.
“It took a toll, especially as a mere mortal trying to compete with the sport’s three demigods [Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic],” Thiem told The Athletic. “That contributed to the injury, definitely. I was competing with the three greatest of all time. That was intense.
“But also, all the years before, I always had a big load and intensity in my practice. That’s something the doctor and many other people said: that at one point the wrist broke because of all the shots I did, all the hard practice I did all those years before.
“I was always striving to get better and get even closer to the best players in the world.”
The 2020 US Open champion defeated Zverev in a grueling five-set battle after being two sets down, with both players utterly exhausted in the four-hour marathon. Thiem admitted he knew it might be his best chance to win a Slam, motivating him to fight back even when Zverev was serving for the championship at 5-3 in the third set.
“Every Grand Slam final felt like it could be the last one because the journey is really tough,” Thiem added. “You have to beat great players, you have to stay healthy. Many, many little things have to come together.
“When I played Sascha, it was like now or never. When I was two sets down, luckily, I relaxed a bit, and he also started to think more about being so close to the title.”
There is little chance of Thiem reaching the later stages at Flushing Meadows again. But with a planned final farewell in Vienna, Thiem’s career will at least conclude in places where he experienced some of his greatest joys.
