Thomas Muster, former number one in the tennis world, talks about the end of his own career 25 years ago and sheds light on that of Dominic Thiem. The Styrian explains how he managed to graduate from top-level sport and why he only later really appreciated recognition and applause. The political correctness of the present bothers him massively.
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“/> Thomas Muster still has an eye on the tennis scene. “I have seen every match of Dominic Thiem in the past few years.” GEPA pictures/ Matthias Hauer
A few days ago, Vienna saw Dominic Thiem’s farewell to the tennis stage. They went underground 25 years ago, in May 1999, after a first-round defeat at the French Open against the Ecuadorian Nicolás Lapentti. Nobody knew whether or how things would continue. Was the end of your career a spontaneous act?
Thomas Muster: I left the pitch in Paris and knew: That was it. After Paris there was always the grass season, which was no longer an issue for me at this stage of my career. So no one missed me at Wimbledon. Nobody asked about me there. I simply didn’t show up for work after Paris. If you like, it was a refusal to work on a large scale (laughs).
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“/> Thomas Muster at his last match in Paris in May 1999. Ingrid Gerencser
What happened in the hours and days after your last match?
