"The last details never returned, it was often a torment": Dominic Thiem admits 'mistakes' during road to retirement

Dominic Thiem’s career has been a rollercoaster of triumph, struggle, and self-discovery. In a candid conversation, the Austrian tennis star reflected on the highs of winning the 2020 US Open, the challenges of injuries, and the process of moving on from a life defined by sport.

Thiem recalls the extraordinary build-up to his first Grand Slam win: “You prepare forever, you train hard, and then something unexpected happens, like a virus. It’s not like you think it’s not real, but it’s a lot to process.” After winning the Kitzbühel tournament in Austria, which might have been a 250-level event but carried immense home pressure, Thiem flew straight to Montreal to continue his preparations.

The US Open title meant everything to him at the time. “I had this naive belief that once I won, everything else would become easier,” he says. “I thought the pressure would lessen in future tournaments, and I could play freely. Those were incredibly naive thoughts.”

Looking back, the intensity of living in a “tennis bubble” became clear. Thiem explains that for years, he focused solely on performance, believing that nothing else mattered. “I was a bit aimless after the title. For so long, I lived so intensely for one thing. Looking back, maybe I should have thought differently. There are so many other things in life.”

Thiem’s wrist injury marked a dramatic shift in his career. “It didn’t come from nowhere. Since I was 10 or 11, my wrist had been through a lot. When the injury happened at 28, it was difficult, but maybe better than if it had happened at 18 or 19,” he reflects.

He felt immediately that it was serious: “As a competitive athlete, you feel your body closely. You know right away when something is wrong. My style, especially my forehand, relied on my wrist. Suddenly, the subtle feeling didn’t come back, and everything changed.”

The road to recovery was arduous. Thiem made mistakes in his rehabilitation, starting too early and not giving his body enough time to heal. “After the comeback, I never felt as comfortable on court as before the injury. The last details never returned. It was often a torment, even though I had some nice successes.”

By 2024, Thiem realized his professional career was reaching its natural conclusion. He describes feeling overburdened: “I was used to knowing that if I played well, I could win or beat anyone. But in recent years, I worried if I could even make the next Grand Slam main draw.”

A series of disappointing results in challenger tournaments in Hungary and Croatia made the decision clear. “I said to myself: it’s no use. I can hang on for a few more years, but that’s not what I want. That’s when I decided 2024 would be my last season.”

Thiem’s final year on the tour allowed him to say goodbye on his own terms, playing in Kitzbühel, the US Open, the French Open, and celebrating his farewell in Vienna.

Even before the season ended, Thiem was preparing for life beyond the tour. In March 2024, he and Stefan founded Team Energy, a project to help him transition into a new chapter. “Two worlds existed at the same time, which helped me start straight into the next chapter after the last match. That definitely saved me from falling into a hole,” he says.

While tennis will always be a big part of Thiem’s life, he was determined to explore new horizons. “For years, I wished to do something completely different. Tennis will always be a part of me, but it shouldn’t be the only part.”

Looking back, Thiem sees his journey with both gratitude and perspective. “Winning the US Open was everything back then. Now, it’s an incredible experience I’m very happy about. But I dare to say that even without it, life would also be good.”

He recognizes the lessons that came from both the highs and lows: the intense preparation, the heartbreak of injury, and the reality of retirement. “You only learn to appreciate what your body can do when it suddenly doesn’t work anymore. It was bitter at first, but now I see how much my body endured and how lucky I am it lasted as long as it did.”