Dominic Thiem, the 2020 champion, bows out at the US Open with the same applause he didn’t get when he won

Dominic Thiem He never got to hear the unmistakable roar of the New York crowd when he was crowned US Open champion for the only Grand Slam title of his career.

The stadium Arthur Ashe was nearly empty during their historic comeback win that night in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced the tournament to be played without spectators.

Although his career in the big tournaments ended on Monday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 loss in the first round against Ben Shelton, the 13th seed, Thiem said that the match was a transcendent moment for him, enjoying playing in front of a full house on the court where he achieved the most important victory of his career.

Dominic Thiem in action on his last time in New York – Credits: @JAMIE SQUIRE

“I want to thank you for fill what I missed four years ago“Thiem told the crowd.

Thiem, who turns 31 next week, has battled wrist injuries in recent years and had announced plans to retire at the end of the season. The Austrian has received a wild card from the U.S. Tennis Association to enter the main draw and play his 10th match of the season.

With the Chilean Nicolas Massu As a coach, Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in the 2020 final, prevailing in a fifth-set tiebreak to become the first man to win the US Open after dropping the first two sets since 1949. It was Thiem’s ​​fourth Grand Slam final and there was no reason to think he wouldn’t play in several more.

The Austrian became number three of the ATP rankings that March after reaching the final of the Australian Open, ending the year within Top 10 for the fifth consecutive seasonHe had also competed in two Roland Garros finals.

But he injured his right wrist in June 2021 and was never able to regain his best form or the power in his forehand that allowed him to go 9-3 against the Big Three (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal) during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Quite a message.

Despite his efforts to return to his best form, the Austrian, who has won 17 titles, chose to announce the news that had been an open secret since last May: the expected end of his career, marked by major impacts and injuries.

Dominic Thiem’s ​​best moments in Flushing – Credits: @AL BELLO

“It was intense competing with the three greatest of all time, it certainly contributed to my injury.. All the years before I had a heavy workload and intensity in my practices. That’s something that doctors and many other people have told me, that at some point The doll was broken from all the hits and the demanding practices. I always sought to improve and get closer to the best players in the world,” said the persistent player, who had the pleasure of defeating the legendary Big 16 times, the result of five victories against Roger Federer, six against the Spaniard Rafael Nadal and five against the Serbian Novak Djokovic, in statements to the prestigious media The Atlantic.

The right, according to Thiem, “could never be the same.” Thiem received a framed collage of photos of himself playing at the US Open. He said he will play a couple more tournaments before hanging up his rackets; the last dance will be the ATP tournament in Vienna in October.

He wants to stay involved in tennis and has already set up an academy in Austria. And while he is comfortable with his plans to retire, he knows there is something about tennis that he can never replace. “I think the thing I will miss the most is that feeling you get after winning a big match. There is nothing that compares to it,” Thiem said. “It is something you don’t get anywhere outside of tennis. It’s a rush. It’s like being on drugs, I guess,” he explained.

It was a Monday of strong emotions. A little while later, in front of a court full of more than 8,000 spectators, Diego Schwartzman played his last match at the US Open, losing to Frenchman Gael Monfils.