
Former world No.3 and Grand Slam champion Dominic Thiem has shocked the tennis world and announced his retirement at age 30. Sadly, injuries took their toll on the Austrian who suffered a serious wrist injury almost three years ago keeping him out of action for 10 months. Reports circulated this week that Thiem had informed his sponsors that he would be hanging up the racquet at the end of the year in his home country at the Vienna Open. In a video released on social media, Thiem made the news official to the public. 'Hello everybody, I have to tell you a very sad but beautiful message that season 2024 is going to be my last one. There are some reasons behind it: Firstly, my wrist is not exactly the way it should be and it's not exactly the way I wanted. The second reason is my inner feeling. I was thinking about this decision for a very long time and I was thinking very carefully about it. I was also thinking about my whole journey as a tennis player which was incredible. I've had success, I've won trophies, so the journey was incredible [with] all the ups and downs, it was an incredible experience which I'm so thankful for, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that this decision is the only right one and I'm very happy with it and also super excited for what's coming next,' said an emotional Thiem.
The triumph at Flushing Meadows in New York to defeat Alexander Zverev from two sets down in the final will go down as the main career highlight, finally breaking his Grand Slam duck. Thiem reached back-to-back finals at Roland Garros in 2018 and 2019 as he fell short at the hands of the Spaniard while also claiming 17 ATP titles including 10 on the red dirt. Renowned for possessing one of the most unique one-handed backhands in the game, the 2020 Austrian Sportsman of the Year added his sole Masters 1000 title to the trophy cabinet when he defeated Roger Federer in the Californian desert. He was also an Australian Open finalist back in 2020, having had a two-set-to-one advantage against Novak Djokovic before the Serbian maestro proved too strong. A career to cherish for one of tennis' great talents over the past decade.
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