"It hurts": Dominic Thiem expresses pain in retirement after playing last match

Austria’s Dominic Thiem has stated that retirement ‘hurts’ after playing his final match. The 31-year-old played the final match of his career on Tuesday as he lost to Italy’s Luciano Darderi in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2 in the round of 32 of the Vienna Open.

Thiem spoke to the media after the match where he stated that retirement ‘hurts’. “I’ve had so many nice goodbyes in the last few months, but today I want to say thank you for all the sensational years,” said Thiem. “I am only a part of this career. The whole journey has been an absolute dream and I want this afternoon, this evening to be yours. I couldn’t have imagined it any better. Thank you.”

“Those emotions, those feelings. Being in the flow, like I was in the first set. These are the things that will never come back. It hurts. But at the same time I was playing some forehands, especially in the second set, and they were not even coming to the net. So it was the right decision.”

Thiem was once regarded as one of the most talented players in men’s tennis. He was also tipped as the player to overtake the thrown once the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic would leave. However, a serious wrist injury turned things upside down. He return to the court after spending nearly 12 months but never managed to return to his very best.

Thiem finished his career with a Grand Slam to his name. He lifted his only major title in 2020 in New York after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the final in a five-set thriller with a score of 2–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(8–6). Other than that, he also played in the final of the Grand Slam three times but ended up on the losing side.