Dominic Thiem Awarded Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award In Retirement Year
NewsTuesday, 10 December 2024 at 22:10
Dominic Thiem was given the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award by the ATP in 2024, which was his retirement year.
The Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award is a great initiative by the ATP, which recognizes players who make humanitarian contributions during a given season.
The list of players that won it includes all the great champions, but also great people that compete and competed on the ATP Tour. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are obviously among the list of winners, as are the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, and Arthur Ashe.
In 2023, Felix Auger-Aliassime won the Humanitarian Award for his work in Africa, and in 2024, the Canadian player ended his season early to focus on humanitarian work, showcasing his dedication to making the world a better place with his contributions.
Another player, who joined the list of legends who contributed also outside of the tennis courts is Dominic Thiem. The Austrian player retired from the sport at the Vienna Open this year, ending his successful career, marked by injuries in his final years.
During his playing days, Thiem outlined how he plans to dedicate his time to sustainable projects after his retirement, which is one of the reasons why the ATP gave him this award.
Thiem wrote a piece for ATP after receiving the honor, sharing his delight for being chosen after so many legends of the game won the award as well.
"When I was told I would be named the recipient of the 2024 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, I looked at the list of champions who have won the honour before me. Arthur Ashe. Andre Agassi. Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal. Novak Djokovic. Those are just a few."
"That is just a small sample. They all have done amazing things and created really helpful projects to benefit many people around the world. I'm super proud that my name could even be mentioned alongside theirs."
Thiem also saw a funny connection between this award and his biggest career title, which came at the 2020 US Open. The venue? The Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"Funny enough I won the biggest title of my career, the 2020 US Open, inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. But to me, Arthur Ashe is always the person and the player, not the stadium."
"When I hear his name, I always think first about who he was as a human being and the great impact he had, and still has today on communities throughout the world."
The 31-year-old Austrian then also explained his mission and goal, which is educating people about sustainability after his playing career.
"Inspired by people like Arthur, I also want to give back in my own way. Many of you know that last month I played the final tournament of my career in Vienna. At 31, I am pretty young to retire given how long some people are playing tennis."
"But for a long time, my dream was to dive into something completely outside of the sport when it was time to hang up my racquet. That is why I am thankful to be super passionate about sustainability and helping educate people about it."
While Thiem's tennis career is over, he says that his "most important match has just begun." That's a match to create a more sustainable planet, which is why he won this award.
"It’s important to me that they know I am still around and trying to make a difference. I could have taken time off from everything, but it is no time to relax. These causes are too important."
"It would be super nice if my fans continue supporting me during this new stage of my life. My tennis career came to an end in October, but my most important match has just begun."
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