Alexander Zverev said he lost a good friend at the tournament after Dominic Thiem confirmed he would retire from tennis at the end of 2024.
In a video released via his personal social media account, the Austrian tennis player stated that he took this decision for many reasons, but one of the most significant reasons was his wrist.
In the 2021 season, the former world number 3 tennis player suffered a torn right wrist which kept him out of ATP tournaments for nine months. Since returning to competition, he has struggled to maintain his best performance at a consistent level and is currently ranked 117th in the world. He was last ranked in the top 50 in April 2022.
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Meanwhile, the German tennis player has faced the Austrian player Thiem 12 times, with the most memorable meeting between the two players being in the 2020 US Open final when the German player was ahead by two sets before losing. This victory made the 30 year old tennis player the first Austrian tennis player in history to win the US Open as well as the first male tennis player born in the 1990s to become a Grand Slam champion. He is also currently the only player to recover from 0-2 (sets) in the US Open final.
Hearing the news that his friend and opponent would retire, the 27 year old tennis player admitted that he was sad that injury had played a big role in the Austrian tennis player’s decision.
“It’s strange, he’s still from my generation. “It’s a shame that he stopped because of injury and not because he said, ‘I’ve played enough’,” said Zverev.
“The main reason is of course the wrist injury he has been dealing with in the last few seasons. My older brother suffered the same injury in the 2014 season. The big difference was that my older brother had surgery on the injury. He was sidelined for nine months, all of which went longer without surgery. But then his wrist was stronger than before.”
Continuing his tribute to Thiem, the German highlighted one of the Austrian’s greatest achievements outside the US Open, namely his record against the Big Three – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic – where he beat every member of the Big Three five times or more , an achievement made by Anry Murray.
“I lost one of my best friends in the tournament. He is one of the greatest champions we have had. “He is one of the few players who can beat the Big Three,” added Alexander Zverev.
So far in his career, Thiem has won 17 titles and is ranked 3rd in the world.
