Former ATP Tour titlists who announced their retirement this season received a celebratory sendoff Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Dominic Thiem, Ivo Karlovic, Joao Sousa and John Millman were honoured with an on-court ceremony and earlier received a token of appreciation from ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
“It was a dream,” Thiem said. “I never thought I would have that great career when I was young. I never thought I would achieve that much. Standing here in Torino getting my farewell is so nice."
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The four players among this year’s retiring class have been close to the action in Turin. Not only have they enjoyed watching the season finale, but Thiem, former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, also held a kids’ clinic.
Thiem competed at the year-end event five times during his standout career in which he claimed 17 tour-level trophies, including Indian Wells in 2019 and the US Open in 2020. The 6’11” Karlovic, renowned for boasting one of the biggest serves in the sport, ascended to a career-high No. 14 in 2008.
Dominic Thiem, Ivo Karlovic, Joao Sousa and John Millman on court at the Nitto ATP Finals. Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Sousa became the first Portuguese ATP Tour champion in 2013 and ultimately collected four trophies. The former World No. 28 is the highest-ranked Portuguese player in PIF ATP Rankings history.
“I was fearless,” Sousa said. “As a young player, I never thought I would achieve what I ended up achieving. It is a long way and there are a lot of sacrifices, not only for me but my family. In the end you have to believe in yourself and those around you. In the end, I have had important people around me who helped me achieve what I did."
Millman reached a career-high No. 33 in 2018, the same year he upset five-time US Open champion Roger Federer at Flushing Meadows en route to a quarter-final run.
"I would say I was tenacious. I was a bit of an Aussie battler,” Millman said. “I stuck at it and it didn’t come easy to begin with. I tried to give it a crack and hopefully all the fans watching could see that in my game. The fans were what made it so special. Tennis is often seen as an individual game but there are special people who put all their efforts to get you on the court. I was lucky to have fans all over the world. I guess they identified with the way I played.”
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