Dominic Thiem has played his final ever professional tennis match in front of an adoring crowd at the Vienna Open as he scripted it when he announced the end of his career earlier in the season. He lost to Luciano Darderi 7-6, 6-2 in the opening round after also facing Alexander Zverev in an exhibition earlier this week.
A player who didn't end his career as he wanted. He won the 2020 US Open and was pushing the world's best including having superb records against the Big Three. But it came crashing down with wrist issues for the Austrian which saw him have surgery and he came back to the tour albeit without much success.
As he started to lose to players way outside of his standard, he decided to call it quits. But wasn't given the credit perhaps that he deserved with wildcard snubs in particular at Roland Garros where he reached the final twice which wrankled tennis fans at the time and opened up a whole debate on the use of wildcards.
But he has always been a player who is understated and hasn't been given enough credit really for his role in the period where the big names still ruled the roost. A career high ranking of World No.3, a four-time Grand Slam finalist and reached the final in three out of four Grand Slams.
His career stats also bore 17 career titles, 32 top 10 wins and he was the 1st man born in 1990 or later to win a Grand Slam singles title. Truly snapping the dominance of the Big Four in style. He was also the last player with a one handed backhand to win a Grand Slam title.
He put up a real fight against a top player in Darderi as he didn't want to go out with an embarrassing defeat. In particular he led the opening set 4-2 before he succumbed in the tie-break. Darderi had a simpler task in the second set. But it is all about Thiem even in defeat.
Given a heroes welcome as he went on and off the court, it is a legacy that will long live on and one that perhaps should've had more mileage.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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