Following a hard few years due to a wrist injury, 30-year-old Austrian tennis player and former US Open champion, Dominic Thiem, announced that he will retire at the end of the 2024 season. After sustaining a wrist injury in 2021 that kept him out of the game for months and caused him to drop in the global rankings, the former world number three has had difficulty returning to his peak performance.
In an Instagram post, the athlete admitted: “It is a very important, very sad, very beautiful message that this season will be my last one.”
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Thiem: ‘It was an incredible journey’
The two-time French Open finalist stated in January that this season was his “last chance” to play at the level he expects of himself and climb back up the world rankings. Thiem declared: “I’ve had success and trophies which I never dreamt of. It was an incredible journey. In the end, I came to the conclusion that this decision to end my career at the end of this season is the only right one.”
He also explained his decision for his retirement by stating: “There are some reasons behind it: Firstly, of course, my wrist. It is not exactly the way it should be and how I want it. The second reason is my inner feeling: I have been thinking about this decision for a very long time.”
In his recent performances, Thiem, who is currently ranked 117th, defeated German Maximilian Marterer in the Estoril Open to record his first win on the ATP Tour this year. However, Frenchman Richard Gasquet finally eliminated Thiem in the round of 16. Moreover, he had withdrawn in the opening round of the Australian Open.
Source: CNA