Austrian ace Dominic Thiem is one of the leading advocates of sustainability and protection of the planet in tennis. He wears Adidas Parley Collection on the ATP Tour, which comprises up-cycled plastic, promoting awareness about ocean plastic. Naturally, Thiem also rated his commitment to the environment more important than his US Open title or any other personal success. No doubt why he is now called the Ocean Warrior.

Interestingly, Thiem attended the Kosmos Sports Summit, where he explained his journey on the sustainability topic. He also urged professional athletes to use their fan base and move in this direction.

During the conference, the former World No.3 admitted that winning the US Open was “amazing.” Although, Thiem later insisted that such achievements are incomparable to “protecting the oceans, protecting the environment, and the whole future of the planet.”

“If I can make a little difference to that, it would be a success of a lifetime because it’s so much more important than any personal success,” the 2020 US Open winner said.

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Dominic Thiem on saving the oceans and planet

Primarily, Thiem explained how he got connected with the ocean cause despite coming from a landlocked Austria.

“Maybe because I’m from Austria, where we have no sea, where we have no coastline, it’s more special for me to visit the ocean,” Thiem said.

In addition, the 27-year-old shared his learnings that everyone on the planet depends on the oceans equally. “It doesn’t matter how far we are away from it because it connects the whole planet,” Thiem added. “That is why for an Austrian, it’s just as important for somebody who lives on the coast.”

Furthermore, the Austrian ace also shared about his time with WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) in the Balearic Islands. There, he said he spent the time “learning a lot about marine life, about plastic pollution, about all the threats and what we can do about it.”

Conclusively, Thiem turned to the sports athletes to do their bit and set examples for their fan base. “To take care of the planet and to turn things around, the time is now,” he said.

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When will Thiem return to the tennis tour?

Recovering since June 2021, Thiem has finally started training again. What’s more, he announced that he would mark his comeback at the Abu Dhabi Exhibition before the Australian Open 2022.

Indeed, Thiem is taking the correct steps to become an inspiration to the world on and off the court. Hopefully, one day the world will join him in his path to saving the oceans and the planet.

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