Djokovic salutes Thiem: a rollercoaster journey that kept tennis fans on the edge of their seats

Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has paid tribute to Austria’s Dominic Thiem after his Grand Slam career ended on Monday. The 30-year-old was once regarded as one of the most talented men’s tennis players in the singles category. He was also tipped to become the next big thing once the original ‘Big Three’ will finish his career.

However, the 30-year-old suffered a nasty wrist injury in 2021, which changed the course of his career. He never managed to get back to his very best. Thiem eventually decided earlier this year that he would retire from professional tennis after the end of the current season.

On Monday, the Wiener Neustadt-born lost in the opening round of the US Open to America’s Ben Shelton in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. That result effectively ended Thiem’s Grand Slam career as he is certain not to take part in another mega-event as a professional tennis player.

Former world number one Serbia’s Djokovic was quoted in a report where he heaped praise on Thiem and congratulated him for having an impressive Grand Slam career. The former world number one also highlighted that he was sad to see such a talented player leave the sport at such a young age because of a fitness concern.

“Well, I would like to congratulate him on a great Grand Slam career,” he said. “One of the nicest guys, really, on the tour for many years. He's been respected. He's been admired. He's been loved by his peers, by colleagues, by everyone on the tour. Of course, fans. He put in so much work over the years, and I think he was a great example for many players that see what's happening, so to say, behind the scenes. He always puts in the extra work, and the tenacity and intensity that he brings on and off the court in everything he does is something really remarkable. It's really unfortunate for a player of his caliber that was really almost on top of the world, and being a top-3, top-5 player for years to go through the injury of the wrist that really made him struggle. He was never the same player after that. It's unfortunate.”

Thiem finished his career by winning one Grand Slam, the US Open, after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller with a score of 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6. One of Thiem's most impressive achievements has been defeating all players in the ‘Big Three’ — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic — at least five times in professional tennis.