By: Grace Wang
Dominic Thiem was destined to become the successor to the Big Three. For most of his career, the Austrian seemed to be fated to do so with a career high ranking of world number 3, one major title at the US Open in 2020, three grand slam final showings, and a total of 17 singles titles. With an overall 16-19 record against the greatest trio of tennis players: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, Thiem challenged them greatly with his deep groundstrokes and thunderous one-handed backhand.
However, the course of his career changed after a few devastating injuries; most notably, a wrist injury in 2021 which derailed his previous successes on the ATP Tour. Since then, Thiem struggled to win matches against players ranked much lower than him and consequently, his ranking fell out of the Top 100. After three years of trying, Thiem decided to pull the plug on his professional career at the end of the 2024 season at the Vienna Open in front of a home crowd. In his final professional showing, he lost in the first round to Luciano Daderi in straight sets. Following his loss, the crowd held up Austrian flags and cards displaying the message “Danke Dominic” (Thank you Dominic). He then gave a final on court interview and then placed his racquet in a glass case, which will be auctioned.
Thiem’s career will be remembered as one of the greatest and he truly flew the flag for Austrian tennis. Dominic Thiem is a tennis player and person to remember.
