When the 2024 ATP Tour season ends, several players will retire. Joining Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will be Dominic Thiem. Thiem is calling it quits at the age of 30, but he will always have one prolific record against the Big Three that will never be broken.
Dominic Thiem remains the only person who has defeated Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal combined more number of times than any other player born in or after 1990.
Thiem has a 5-2 head-to-head record against Roger Federer. Against Nadal and Djokovic, it is 6-10 and 5-7 respectively, as per the ATP Tour. In total, he won 16 matches against the Big Three. His peak around 2017-2020 is something the tennis world may never see again.
It was unfortunate for him that he was up against some of the greats like Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the finals. Besides his only Grand Slam win i.e. the US Open 2020, Thiem also reached the finals of the French Open twice (2018-2019) and the Australian Open once in 2020. He lost to Nadal twice at the Roland Garros and to Djokovic at the AO.
But in terms of skill, Dominic Thiem will be right up there with the rest of his competitors. Thiem had the potential to defeat any player on the planet. Even among all players irrespective of their age, the Austrian is only behind Andy Murray in terms of the most matches won against the Big Three.
While Thiem has won 16 matches, Murray won 29 matches against the trio. His record against Djokovic is 11-25, against Nadal it’s 7-17, and against Federer, it’s 11-14. While he isn’t ahead in any of them, he still managed to win the most number of times against them.
Dominic Thiem was one of Roger Federer’s favorite players to watch, especially for his one-handed backhand shot. He is also still the favorite player of Carlos Alcaraz’s younger brother, Jamie Alcaraz.
16 – Among players born in 1990 or after, Dominic Thiem holds the the most combined ATP match victories against Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
5⃣ – Djokovic
6⃣ – Nadal
5⃣ – FedererGenerational. pic.twitter.com/uPtvYvxA4W
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) May 10, 2024
Dominic Thiem’s wrist injury has been bothering him for quite some time now. Therefore, he does not wish to aggravate the injury and this is why he had to take a hard call to retire.
Being the likeable personality that he is, he had a heartfelt message for all his fans on his announcement of retiring from the spot.
An Emotional Dominic Thiem Bid Adieu to This Lovely Game
Speaking directly to the camera, Dominic Thiem announced his retirement in a soft, quaky voice. He was quoted as saying –
“Hello everybody! I have to tell you very important, very sad, but also very beautiful message. The season 2024 is gonna be my last one. I’m gonna finish my career with the end of this season. There are some reasons behind it.
“Firstly, of course, my wrist – it’s not exactly the way it should be and it’s not exactly the way how I wanted. The second reason is my inner feeling. I was thinking about this decision for a very long time.
“I was thinking very carefully about it. Of course I was also thinking about the whole journey as a tennis player, which was incredible.
“I’ve had success, I’ve won trophies I’ve really never dreamt of. So the journey was incredible. All the ups and downs, it was an incredible experience, which I’m so thankful for.
“But, yeah, at the end, I came to the conclusion that this decision to end my career by the end of the season is the only right one. Very happy with it. I’m also super excited for everything what’s coming next,” Thiem added.
Thiem then teased fans about his vlog, which will have a more detailed explanation of his big decision. He last played against Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Madrid Open, where he lost 1-6, 3-6. Thiem will most likely play next at the French Open. With the Austrian being a very good clay player and having nothing to lose, he could be a dark horse in Paris this year.
