Dominic Thiem, once considered a future luminary in men’s tennis during an era of legendary ATP players, saw his promising career cut short. The former world No. 3, a winner of 17 titles including the 2020 US Open, was compelled to retire prematurely at 31 due to a persistent wrist injury since 2021. While acknowledging the pain of ending his 13-year journey in October 2024, Thiem felt it was the “right decision,” a sentiment echoed by many, including Novak Djokovic, who described it as a “shame.” Reflecting recently on this unfortunate end, Thiem discussed how, despite his career trajectory differing from Andre Agassi’s, he has ultimately found peace in his early retirement.

His professional career concluded with a straight-sets defeat against Luciano Darderi of Italy in the opening round of the Vienna Open. Following the match, the Austrian crowd showed their heartfelt appreciation by holding up cards displaying their national flag alongside the words “Danke Dominic” (“Thank You Dominic”). Subsequently, Thiem delivered an emotional on-court speech before placing his racket in a glass case, intending to auction it off to raise money for charity.

During his career, Dominic Thiem indeed spent a significant amount of time in the Top 10, including 26 weeks at his peak ranking of world number 3. Thiem was at his prime when the wrist injury occurred in June 2021. While he did make a comeback to professional tennis after recovering, he himself acknowledged, “It was difficult. There were so many phases. Phases where things were looking up, then phases where the whole thing just felt miserable, then phases where I played well and beat really strong players. Then came more setbacks,” during an interview with MAGAZIN. But why didn’t he opt for surgery?

In reply to that question, Thiem said,” I spoke to many doctors. Most of all, I talked to Dr. Verstreken, who treated many players with the same injury: Nishikori, Clijsters, Bencic. I trusted him completely, and I still believe it was the right decision not to have surgery.” American tennis legend Andre Agassi also had a similar wrist injury, but he underwent surgery in 1993. After that, he came back and won 7 Grand Slam titles. Hearing this, Thiem replied,

“Yes, there are players for whom surgery works, and there are players for whom it doesn’t. I think it was okay for me. I was just missing that last percentage point in my game, especially with my forehand, which wasn’t as powerful. The whole thing was extremely nerve-wracking, but now I’ve made peace with it.”

This leaves us with the thought: Does the wrist injury still affect his daily life?

According to Thiem, while he might have a couple of good days, the pain often returns, particularly in his hand, causing his arms to become “really stiff.” Consequently, he requires daily treatment to maintain his wrist’s flexibility.

And despite his career ending earlier than he might have hoped, Dominic Thiem expresses immense pride in his achievements, especially considering he competed during the era dominated by the ‘Big 3’.

“I’m really proud and happy that I was in the same era” – Dominic Thiem

Dominic Thiem hails the ‘Big 3’ as “three of the best athletes of all time.” In 2021, during an interview when he was asked if he realized the importance of winning 20 Grand Slam titles, Thiem said, “Of course, but I knew before that it was a huge achievement to do what Rafa [Nadal], Roger [Federer], and Novak [Djokovic] do. Even winning one is a very difficult thing that not many players achieve.”

Interestingly, Thiem ended his career, becoming one of just two players, alongside Andy Murray, to have registered at least 5 H2H wins against each of the ‘Big 3’. He finished his career with a 5-2 record against Roger Federer, 6-10 against Rafael Nadal, and 5-7 against Novak Djokovic. How does Dominic Thiem look at his experience of playing against the finest of the game?

“I was very lucky to stay healthy [most of] the time to be able to realise basically all my dreams. And yeah, I was never expecting a career like that when I was young. The privilege of playing in the same era, like the Big Three, like the Big Four, I’m very happy about it. I’m really proud and happy that I was in the same era like them.”

Since Thiem has played against all these players, what, according to him, is the “defining criteria” in the long-lasting debate of who’s the real GOAT in the tennis world?

According to the Austrian, “In my opinion, the Grand Slam titles should be the defining criteria when determining the best of all time, they are the four most important tournaments in tennis.” Since Djokovic (24) has the highest Grand Slam titles among them, he seems to be a perfect candidate to fit Thiem’s criteria as the real G.O.A.T. What are your thoughts on this, though?