The world of tennis stood still when Dominic Thiem announced his retirement yesterday. However, after the tennis world recovered from the news, many tributes to the former World No. 3 surfaced on Instagram. Among them, a few notable ones, like Ben Shelton and Diego Schwartzman’s comments, touched the hearts of all the tennis fans.

When Thiem posted an Instagram video stating that he was going to retire after this season owing to his wrist injury, we all felt his pain. And his former U.S. Open competitor of last year, Ben Shelton, also reflected on this disheartening news. A great admirer of the Austrian player, Shelton wrote a heartfelt comment under the video, showcasing his love and respect for Thiem. “One of the best to ever do it ❤️,” he wrote. 

Shelton himself has had a firsthand experience with Thiem’s powerful skills on-court. They met each other twice on-court, which made for an amazing and memorable encounter for the fans. Quite interestingly, both have defeated each other once on-court. But sadly, their last year’s U.S. Open encounter resulted in Thiem’s mid-match retirement.

But when Thiem first played against the American in the Estoril Open earlier that year, it was he who emerged victorious. Nevertheless, their on-court rivalry did not interfere with Shelton’s deep respect for the 30-year-old player.

However, it is not only Ben Shelton who paid tribute to Thiem. The Italian tennis player, Fabio Fognini, also dropped a “❤️,” emoji in the comments, tagging Thiem. And it reminded all of us of their multiple encounters on-court that date back to 2015 and how it left us glued to our seats when they played. But among every comment, one remained highlighted as Diego Schwartzman talked about his friendship with his on-court rival, Thiem.

Diego Schwartzman “thanks” his friend Dominic Thiem for his contribution to tennis

Having played against each other for over nine years, Diego Schwartzman and Dominic Thiem became close friends off the court. Although Thiem has beaten Schwartzman six times on-court, it never came in between their admiration for each other. Naturally, Thiem’s retirement announcement made Schwartzman emotional. 

So, he wrote a heartfelt comment on Thiem’s Instagram video that states, “Thanks for all this years my friend! Sharing moments as a friends and competitors. Tennis will missed u”.

Not only that, he has also proposed for a doubles match with him in the Vienna Open, which is scheduled for October this year. However, whether it turns into a reality or not, only time will tell. Till then, as the tennis community reflects on Dominic Thiem’s illustrious career, fans are hoping to see him perform his best as he progresses in the season.