At peace with his impending retirement and the end of his US Open career, Dominic Thiem was happy to sign off in New York with a final appearance on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday afternoon.
“Everything was a bit different,” said Thiem in his post-match press conference after his straight-sets defeat to Ben Shelton. “I tried to enjoy, I tried to really soak up every moment in this stadium. It was really nice. I think I was able to focus on the match, but of course I don’t have that level anymore that is required to really go head-to-head with players like Ben.
“This I also knew before, so of course I tried to enjoy as much as possible, but still, I was focusing on the match pretty good.”
New York will forever love Domi ❤️
2020 champion @domithiem bids an emotional farewell to the US Open 🥹@usopen | #USOpenpic.twitter.com/Zfx5KJlx5s
Thiem will end his career later this year as the owner of a 23-9 record at the US Open. That tally includes the highlight of the Austrian’s career: his run to his only Grand Slam trophy at the 2020 edition of the hard-court major.
“When I came first here as a pro, I straightaway played fourth round, and that gave me a boost for all the upcoming years,” said Thiem, when asked to reflect on his US Open career. “I think it's like that. If you have really good memories or if you have a good start at something, this really gives you positive vibes for the future. It was like that, because the only really bad year I had here was 2019, when I lost in the first round and when I was not 100 per cent healthy.
"Other than that, I almost only had great highlight years. The 2017 [five-set match] against [Juan Martin del Potro], which was back then a really, really tough loss to handle. But now, it's a legendary match, which I really like to remember actually, and then of course the epic [five-set 2018 quarter-final] with Rafa [Nadal] was great.
“But still, 2020 is above everything, and is also above everything else in my tennis career.”
[ATP APP]Thiem will bring his career to a close on home soil in October at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. The former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, whose time at the top of the game was curtailed by a long-term wrist injury, is ready for his next chapter.
“I'm happy. I was struggling enough, the last years, especially since I was not able to come back to my level,” said Thiem. “But once I took the decision this year in March, from this moment on, I was happy about it.
“Obviously I was also able to kind of prepare already this new chapter that is coming soon. Honestly, I always loved playing on Tour, and I was very patient about it, but honestly, I also always really enjoyed being at home and to have, as much as it was possible, a kind of normal life at home.
“That's why I really look forward to this now, now that the normal life is now coming. That's why I think it's not that difficult for me, and that's why I'm really also happy with my decision.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]