Former ATP player Jimmy Connors urged Dominic Thiem to reconsider playing into his 30s instead of taking the easy way out.
Thiem's has been really weird in many ways. The Austrian won his maiden Grand Slam title a few years ago, but that would remain the highest mountain he'll ever climb in tennis.
Many expected him to properly launch himself at the top of the world tennis after that, but he largely struggled with motivation. He then suffered a devastating wrist injury, which he reinjured by rushing back to play at the US Open, where he would have been the defending champion.
All of that resulted in the fact that he never really found his tennis again. He was ranked number 3 on the ATP Tour when he won the US Open but dropped down to 15th place the year after.
One year after that, Thiem dropped down to number 352 and peaked at number 72 since then. That's his highest ranking since 2020. That's really shocking, and it's why Thiem admitted to contemplating retirement if this year doesn't work out.
It would be a shame, which is why former player Jimmy Connors, who talked on his podcast, urged him to look at the examples of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic and how they found success in their 30s.
"If that was me and and I know Dominic Thiem's not me, but I'm just saying if that was me, I would say I'm 30 years old in comparison looking at Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Fedder, you know, look at some of these guys."
"These guys who are playing well into their 30s, into their mid to late 30s, and what they've been able to accomplish. Why wouldn't you give yourself a chance to stay out there and try to grind it out to get back to where you were."
Connors makes a fair argument, but then again, it mostly comes down to whether Thiem is willing to undergo that. It takes a lot of effort, some of which he might not be willing to put in, and Connors understands that.
"Dominic Thiem has a name, you know, still even though he has been hurt, he's still has his name and his reputation. Being 30, yes, it is worth it. You know, because he still has some time if he's willing to pay the price."
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