New Delhi. Tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal congratulated Dominic Thiem on his retirement as the Austrian ended his professional career with a first round loss against Luciano Darderi at the Erste Bank Open. The Austrian player won a major title at the 2020 US Open. He also reached the finals of three other Slams, winning 17 ATP singles titles; Achieved career-high ATP ranking of No. 3; And remained in the top 10 for the better part of six years. Federer wrote in his Instagram story that a brilliant career has come to an end. Congratulations Domi. No matter what the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your brilliant backhand.” He said but the most important thing is that you did it with decency and sportsmanship. Thiem has won five of his seven ATP head2head matches against Federer. Their only championship encounter came at the 2019 Paraíba Open, where the Austrian won his only ATP Masters 1000 title.
Nadal, who won their series 10-6 (Thimem had four clay-court wins), also posted an Instagram Story, sharing the same sentiment as many: “Danke Domi. Thiem compiled a formidable, even shocking, record against the ‘Big Three’ – Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. He finished his career with a 16–19 record against the Big Three, winning 46 percent of his matches. He holds a 5–2 lead over Federer (including a win on grass in Stuttgart in 2016, (incidentally Thiem’s worst surface); according to ATP data, Djokovic (the Austrian player Having lost his first five matches, Thiem was dominant in the first set, losing 6–10 to Nadal (including four wins over the Spaniard on his favorite red clay). Performed consistently, winning points especially with his trademark backhand.
Thiem was not only able to keep up with the world number 42, but also took the lead with a break. However, Darderi leveled the score at 4-4, after which both players were successful in saving their serve. In the tie-break, Thiem already had a lead at 4–2 and a set point at 6–5. Dardery came back and won the first set 7-6 (6). Dardery started the second set with a break and did not let the lead slip away. In the end, it was 7-6 (6), 6-2 to the Italian and Thiem was denied a sensation in his farewell from professional tennis. The Lower Austrian player received a standing ovation after match point and a choreography by fans also honored the US Open winner. And: The racket with which he hit his last balls in the Wiener Stadthalle was placed in a display case immediately after the match and can now be admired in the “Official Tennis Experience” exhibition in Hall F of the Stadthalle.
Thiem thanked fans in an emotional speech, “I’ve said a lot of goodbyes over the past few months, but today I want to say thank you for all the sensational years. I am only a part of this career. The entire journey has been like a dream and I wish this afternoon, this evening, to be yours. I couldn’t have imagined anything better – thank you. Thiem’s close friend Alexander Zverev, who played a friendly match with Autriene in Vienna, posted on Instagram, “Unfortunately everyone’s tennis career will end sooner or later. But the people you meet and the friendships you make will hopefully last a lifetime. Thanks to Domithiem for the toughest battles on the court so far. Thank you for the most unforgettable moments we were able to share off the court. Thank you for showing that true friendship is possible despite being one of the biggest rivals. it is not goodbye. See you soon my friend.