Current:Home > InvestDominic Thiem finally gets celebratory sendoff at US Open in final Grand Slam appearance-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Dominic Thiem finally gets celebratory sendoff at US Open in final Grand Slam appearance
View Date:2024-12-23 20:36:21
NEW YORK — His final shot landed long of the baseline, meaning it was time to walk to the net, but still Dominic Thiem had reason to do it with a smile.
From 2017 through 2020, Thiem was no worse than the fourth-best tennis player in the world. Often, he was a couple spots higher than that. He made four Grand Slam finals, had nearly a 50/50 combined record against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer and finally won his first Grand Slam at the U.S. Open.
For awhile now, Thiem has accepted that he’d never be able to play like that again. The stress he put his body through for all those years he was trying to compete with the game’s legends had physically broken him. The surgically-repaired wrist he had used to generate immense power was no longer capable of producing shots that could damage the best players in the world. So a few months ago, the 30-year-old Austrian decided he would make one last go-round at the majors, play in Vienna one last time and then call it a career.
In some ways, the most important stop on this goodbye tour was Monday. Not because Thiem had a chance against the 13th-seeded American Ben Shelton – it was a predictably one-sided 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 match – but because it gave Thiem the chance to experience something he never got the last time he played inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Applause, and maybe even more than that, appreciation.
“It’s actually a really important moment for me because I’ve had my greatest success of my career here on this court,” Thiem told the crowd after a short ceremony to acknowledge his retirement. “Unfortunately, I had this success without any of you. So that was of course at one point a really amazing moment but also pretty sad.”
Every tennis player grows up dreaming about what it would feel like to win a Grand Slam. None of them envisioned doing it in an empty stadium with silence all around them after championship point.
But those were the circumstances under which Thiem won his major in 2020 after a nervy five-set battle against Alexander Zverev.
Just four years later, that whole period of our lives seems a little surreal and thankfully long in the past. The compromises we had to make to put on tournaments like the U.S. Open were necessary at the time, but far from ideal. Even in the moment, we all understood Thiem deserved a better Grand Slam celebration than the one he got that night.
Still, Thiem had given tennis every reason to believe there was more in store. He was just entering his prime, as fit as anyone in the sport and poised to collect significant hardware as Nadal and Djokovic got older.
Instead, Thiem never won another professional title. His wrist flared up early in 2021, and when he came back nine months later, the game that he had ridden to the top of the sport wasn’t there anymore. There were a few flashes of good play, but nothing was sustainable. The thing that had made him great – elite baseline power off both his forehand and backhand – had been diminished just enough that the strokes were ordinary.
“The feeling on the forehand never came back like it was before,” Thiem said Monday. “And of course I was struggling mentally a lot because it was difficult to accept. But I’m really happy with the career I had before and never expected it was going to be that successful, so I don’t have any regrets and I’m good with that.”
It’s good that Thiem is leaving the game fulfilled and gratified about what he achieved rather than bitter over what he missed out on, but it’s still a bit sad to think that he might not get the recognition historically for just how good of a player he was. Anyone calling him a one-Slam wonder is completely missing the point.
In an era when nobody was getting past the Big 3 on a regular basis, Thiem beat Djokovic five out of 12 times including at the 2017 and 2019 French Open. He had six wins in 16 meetings against Nadal, including a remarkable 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 victory in the 2020 Australian Open quarterfinals. And he went 5-2 against Federer, including the Indian Wells final in 2019.
“I had legendary matches against the best players in our era, maybe the best players in history,” he said. “Now it’s amazing memories. But back then it was really important to me to know that when I step on court against Novak or against the other best players I had the ability to win.”
The last couple years, Thiem knew he no longer had that ability. When he finally accepted it, it freed him to look ahead at the normal life he was going to enjoy rather than the tennis career in his rearview mirror.
But he did want one more chance on Ashe, to hear the admiration and appreciation that he never got four years ago on the best day of his career. It was a fitting send-off, indeed.
“I tried to really soak up every moment in this stadium,” he said. “Of course I’m not having the level anymore that’s required to really go head-to-head with players like Ben so I tried to enjoy as much as possible. I’m happy.”
Follow columnist Dan Wolken on social media @DanWolken
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
veryGood! (48889)
Related
- 5-year-old boy who went missing while parent was napping is found dead near Oregon home, officials say
- Honolulu police say a 10-year-old girl died from starvation, abuse and neglect
- Taylor Swift fan proposes to his girlfriend during 'Love Story' performance in Tokyo
- A Super Bowl in 'new Vegas'; plus, the inverted purity of the Stanley Cup
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- Colman Domingo talks 'Rustin' Oscar nod and being an awards style icon: 'Isn't it crazy?'
- Hawaii Supreme Court quotes The Wire in ruling on gun rights: The thing about the old days, they the old days
- Falcons owner: Bill Belichick didn't ask for full control of team, wasn't offered job
- Chicago Bears will ruin Caleb Williams if they're not careful | Opinion
- Good thing, wings cost less and beer's flat: Super Bowl fans are expected to splurge
Ranking
- Disruptions to Amtrak service continue after fire near tracks in New York City
- How to defend against food poisoning at your Super Bowl party
- Ex-TV news reporter is running as a Republican for Bob Menendez’s Senate seat in New Jersey
- The Bear Season 3: Premiere Date Clue Proves the Show Is Almost Ready to Serve
- Residents urged to shelter in place after apparent explosion at Louisville business
- Prince Harry Makes Surprise Appearance at NFL Honors After Visit With King Charles III
- Sean Payton hasn't made 'final decision' on Russell Wilson's future, regrets bashing Jets
- Fire causes extensive damage to iconic Chicago restaurant known for its breakfasts
Recommendation
-
Olivia Munn Randomly Drug Tests John Mulaney After Mini-Intervention
-
2 deputies shot, 1 killed at traffic stop in Blount County, Tennessee, manhunt underway
-
This week on Sunday Morning (February 11)
-
Julius Peppers headlines Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2024 class, Antonio Gates misses cut
-
Artem Chigvintsev Returns to Dancing With the Stars Ballroom Amid Nikki Garcia Divorce
-
Where is the Super Bowl this year, and what are the future locations after 2024?
-
Georgia Republicans say Fani Willis inquiry isn’t a ‘witch hunt,’ but Democrats doubt good faith
-
The Bear Season 3: Premiere Date Clue Proves the Show Is Almost Ready to Serve