This week Dominic Thiem says goodbye to the big tennis stage.
The 31-year-old from Lower Austria will play the last ATP tournament of his professional career at the Erste Bank Open. After his serious wrist injury in 2021, the former world number three and 2020 US Open winner did not find his way back to his old strength.
Today’s first round match against the Italian Luciano Darderi (from 6 p.m. in the LIVE ticker) may be the last match of his career.
A career that is unparalleled in Austria, despite the surprisingly early end. There is no question that, together with Thomas Muster, he is one of the greatest domestic tennis players of all time. But in our opinion, Thiem can also count himself among the greatest.
7 reasons why Dominic Thiem is one of the greatest Austrian athletes of all time:
1. Tournament wins and final participations
Dominic Thiem was able to win 17 ATP titles in what was ultimately not that long of a career. In Austria only Thomas Muster can boast more in this regard with 44 tournament wins. Both Thiem and the Styrian each have one Grand Slam title to their name.
Thiem triumphed at the US Open in 2020, as did Roland Garros in 1995. In contrast to Muster, Thiem also played in a major final three more times: in 2018 and 2019 at the French Open, where he lost against clay court king Rafael Nadal, plus the legendary Australian Open final against Novak Djokovic, in which Thiem only had to admit defeat after five hard-fought sets.
Thiem also reached the final of the ATP Tour Finals in 2019 and 2020. With 8:1, Muster is clearly ahead in the 1000 title. Thiem achieved his only tournament victory in this category in Indian Wells in 2020, when he brought the great Roger Federer to his knees in the final. Even if the times are of course difficult to compare (Thiem had the “best three” Federer, Nadal and Djokovic against him – Muster had to cope with extreme differences in surfaces), both players are definitely among the best players of their generation.
2. Ranking positions
How consistently strong Dominic Thiem performed in his most successful years on the ATP tour is probably best demonstrated by his world rankings. The Lower Austrian was in the top ten for an incredible 260 weeks and in the top three for 111 weeks.
He recorded his best ranking at the end of the year in 2020, when he also won the US Open. Thiem finished the year in the top three three times, in the top ten five times and in the top 20 seven times.
The most beautiful moments in Dominic Thiem’s career
3. Play style
Dominic Thiem doesn’t just have great victories and successes. The way he was able to win his matches will also be remembered. Two shots in particular characterized the Lichtenwörther’s powerful and aggressive playing style.
On the one hand, there is of course his one-handed backhand, which apart from Thiem is only practiced by a handful of top players. Currently there are only three players in the top 20: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov and Lorenzo Musetti, who prefer to play their backhand with one hand rather than with both hands.
But even if Thiem’s backhand made tennis aesthetes click their tongues for many years: his main weapon was his extreme forehand topspin, with which he put his opponents in trouble.
4. Sporting fairness
Sporting success is one thing, but behavior on the field counts even more. Be it in the event of defeat or victory. In both cases, Thiem showed respect for his opponents throughout his career, regardless of the outcome of the game.
He recognized their achievements and avoided unsportsmanlike behavior. A suspected out call from a linesman was corrected even though it would have been in one’s own favor. Even in pressure situations, Thiem impressed with his professional demeanor.
He rarely let his emotions guide him, but instead remained focused. And of course Thiem’s behavior towards referees gave rise to little cause for criticism. He always treated referees fairly and respectfully. Accordingly, Thiem was often compared to the model professionals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal during his career.
Offer from Oli Pocher: The reactions to Thiem’s resignation
5. Trigger of the tennis boom
When Dominic Thiem started his great march to the top of the world in 2015 and 2016, the Austrian Tennis Association had 170,000 members. The country’s third largest sports association is now on the verge of breaking through the 200,000 mark.
Dominic Thiem inspired children to take their first steps on the tennis court. He awakened the fire in young talents to do the same and he also got veterans to swing the bat again with a little more ambition than before.
6. Worldwide recognition of international sports greats
In Austria, Dominic Thiem was and is an absolute sports hero. But its appeal also extends beyond national borders. No wonder, after all, the man from Lichtenwörth was temporarily the only player who could stand up to the “Big Three”. Only Andy Murray and Thiem were able to win at least five games each against Federer (5:2), Nadal (6:10) and Djokovic (5:7).
He received corresponding recognition even from the greatest in his profession. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic almost always praised the Lower Austrian highly. And Thiem also has many admirers outside of the tennis world: David Alaba, Gregor Schlierenzauer, Andre Schürrle and Felipe Luis have already come out as Thiem fans in the past.
You have to earn such a status over many years.
7. Prize Money, Sponsorship Income and Total Assets
The boring Mammon is probably the most boring item in this list, but money rules the world and even with these numbers, Thiem rules in Austria’s sports history in a league of his own or in the top league.
The Lower Austrian raked in an incredible $30.3 million in prize money alone. In addition, there are several million sponsors every year. The total assets at the time of his resignation are estimated at over 20 million euros. There are not many red-white-red sports aces who move or have moved in these income regions.
Victories, dramas and legends – 50 years of town hall tennis
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