Dominic Thiem discussed what he hopes to do next after playing his final Grand Slam match at the 2024 US Open.
Thiem announced his retirement from the sport in May. The principal reason for that decision is a severe wrist injury that has been bothering the Austrian for a few years.
His retirement is also due to the mental toll of tennis. Thiem has been open about finding the constant traveling on the ATP Tour difficult, and he is looking forward to having a more stable life.
The Austrian will retire on home soil at the Vienna Open in October. He also plans to compete at the Ultimate Tennis, which takes place the week before his final event in Vienna. Thiem is not expected to play at any other tournaments before he retires.
It was fitting that Thiem's final Grand Slam contest was at the US Open, having won the title there in 2020. He was rightly given a wild card for the year's final major alongside fellow former champion Stan Wawrinka.
He was a significant underdog against Ben Shelton, and his loss to the 21-year-old was unsurprising. Thiem's final Grand Slam match ended in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 defeat to last year's semifinalist at Flushing Meadows.
Although tennis fans will miss Thiem greatly when he steps away from the sport, the four-time Grand Slam finalist has plans for the future, which he discussed in the press conference he gave after losing to Shelton.
One issue that Thiem is very passionate about is sustainability. The two-time French Open runner-up wants to pursue work in that field further when he hangs up his racket and has more time to devote to it.
"Yeah, I really want to go more into sustainability. I already have one energy community with solar energy. That's very important to me. That is one side."
Thiem sometimes shares topics related to sustainability on his Instagram page. It will be fascinating to observe how his involvement in sustainability-related issues evolves over the coming years.
However, the Belgian wanting to devote more time to sustainability does not mean he plans to step away from tennis completely. In fact, Thiem wants to help develop the next generation of young stars.
The 30-year-old already has an academy in Austria. No longer competing on the ATP Tour provides an opportunity to give more time and resources to making the academy one of the best in the world.
"On the other side also I want to stay in tennis, of course. We have our academy already in Austria, and it would be amazing if players from there are coming through one day and also competing in tournaments like US Open or in the the biggest tournaments in the world. This would be really, really nice, and would also be the goal, of course."
Thiem already having plans in place is healthy. Many athletes are guilty of not doing this and finding retirement difficult because they do not have a purpose. It seems like Thiem will avoid that fate.
0 Comments