Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Dominic Thiem resigned last season. All with defeats in their last appearances. Peter Sampras did it differently in 2002.
by Jens Huiber
last edited: November 23, 2024, 8:48 p.m
© Getty Images
Yes, there have been a few voices in the last few days – where else than on the supposed social networks – that have called out Rafael Nadal for having long since missed the perfect time for his farewell. Well: The Spanish grandmaster will see it differently. And of course with every right. Nadal has given so much to tennis that he can of course also decide when the last ball goes out, into the net or somewhere else.
The statistics, however, recorded a 4:6 against Boot van de Zandschulp as the last set of the magnificent career. For Dominic Thiem, who said goodbye in Vienna a few weeks ago, it was a 2:6 against Luciano Darderi. Andy Murray, the third prominent tennis retiree in 2024, lost the very last set against Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals 4:6 in doubles at the Olympics alongside Daniel Evans.
Sampras hits Agassi and stops
What Nadal, Thiem and Murray have in common? These three exceptional talents knew exactly when the curtain should fall. And the public knew it too. Unlike Roger Federer. Because at the time, when he lost the fourth set 0-6 against Hubert Hurkacz in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2021, he thought that he would come back again. In fact, it was a highly emotional farewell. But “only” at the Laver Cup.
Only one person in the recent past has perfectly scripted the ride into the sunset: Pete Sampras. Because he hung up his tennis racket in 2002. Immediately after he defeated Andre Agassi in four sets in the final of the US Open.
