Tennis is swiftly entering a new era, with the sport’s legends gracefully stepping away from the courts one by one. The latest to officially hang up his racquets is none other than Dominic Thiem, marking the end of a remarkable journey filled with triumphs, battles, and unforgettable moments. While his on-court chapter may have closed, the legacy Thiem leaves behind continues to resonate with fans and peers alike. As tributes pour in from across the tennis world, one of the most touching comes from Roger Federer.

The Austrian tennis sensation played his final match at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. While he anticipated to mark a dominant presence ahead of the tournament, his campaign ended in the first round as he lost in straight sets 7-6 (6), 6-2 to Luciano Darderi. Remember, the player had earlier struggled immensely with the wrist injuries that forced him to eventually retire at just 31 years. But his woes did not take a shade on his glorious career, with the likes of Federer joining to pay tribute to the player. 

Taking to his Instagram story, Federer posted a picture of himself with Thiem and shared an emotional message for the ATP star. “An illustrious career comes to a close 🥲 Congratulations Domi ❤️,” the Swiss Maestro wrote. He also highlighted Thiem’s dominance over himself and shared, “No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands 🚀 But more.” Interestingly, Thiem and Federer have played 7 matches against each other, with the Austrian star baffling the Swiss legend on 5 occasions. Meanwhile, more legendary players joined the fray to offer a farewell to Thiem.

Like Roger Federer, his old rival and close friend, Rafael Nadal also paid an emotional ode to Dominic Thiem. Sharing a video of the ATP Tour on his Instagram story, Nadal wrote, “Danke Domi,” which translates to “Thank you, Domi.” Interestingly, the tributes poured just days after Thiem made a sensational revelation about the tennis greats.

Thiem interacted with the German publication Heute ahead of his final showdown. Speaking in the interview, he said, “I invited Federer, Nadal and Djokovic to my farewell party. Nobody has contacted me yet.” This raised several eyebrows within the community. But now, Thiem seems to be moving on and he expressed the exact reason why he decided to bid adieu to the sport in a heartfelt admission.

Dominic Thiem opens up about his decision to retire from Tennis

For Dominic Thiem, it’s no less than a complete circle of professional life. Thiem watched his first tennis match in Vienna and will bid adieu to the sport at the same venue thereby bringing his career to a “full circle.” And now, the star player revealed why exactly he decided to retire early, as he engaged in an interaction with Tennis.com.

The 2020 US Open winner faced massive struggles due to his wrist injury. As he gave himself more possibilities and opportunities to explore the outside world, he admittedly created a distance from the sport. “The last two years or so, I saw that I’m not going to be able to come back to the ranking and to the playing level I once had. I knew that slowly, my tennis career is coming to an end. I needed to look for new ways because there’s going to be life after tennis.”

As Thiem now looks forward to the next chapter of his life, it will be interesting to see who else joins the likes of Federer and Nadal to bid farewell to the star player. What will next course of action be for Thiem? Well, only time will tell.