Dominic Thiem hinted at a potential retirement if this year doesn't go well for him, and it certainly hasn't been going well so far.
The Austrian shocked everybody with his retirement hint because he's really not old and could play on for several more years. The problem is that his tennis hasn't looked right in a very long time.
He's barely ranked inside the Top 100 with a 1-2 record in ATP Tour-level matches this year. His last two seasons were rather uninspiring, and it's not what he wants.
He used to be one of the best tennis players in the world, and this is not cutting it. The retirement will happen if he's not satisfied with how this year unfolds; so far, it's been bad.
Worst of all, it's trending downward. He opted to skip the Sunshine Double to play some ATP Challenger tournaments in Europe ahead of the clay season.
Zadar is where he is this week, and in the second round, he took on compatriot Lukas Neumayer, who is world number 219.
The 2020 US Open champion didn't handle the match well. Not only did the Austrian lose, but he was also easily outplayed by his compatriot. The score indicates that he was never in the match, and outside of the first two games, he wasn't.
Neumayer quickly established full control of the match and cruised to the finish line uncontested. The final score was 6-2, 6-1, which was one of his career's worst losses.
He recently lost to a player ranked outside of the Top 200 as well, so it's just another disappointment for Thiem. It might just be his level, and if that's the case, it is likely the last year of his career.
The way his career unfolded after the wrist injury is one of the most surprising and unexplained developments in tennis.
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