VIENNA—He’s retiring from tennis this week, but rest assured, Dominic Thiem has no designs on leaving his first love behind. The two-time Roland Garros finalist has hopes of developing 2024’s debut One Shot Cup events—which is exactly as it sounds, a single winner-take-all point format—into a regular series. But more than that, Thiem wants to be the pipeline for inspiring the next great champion by growing talent within his nation’s borders.
“The tennis world gave me so much. It would be really a dream if, out of the Thiem Academy, there is a young girl or a young boy who is climbing up to the top,” he says. “It would be just amazing. I’m there to help.”
Thiem still has at least two sets of his own tennis career to savor. Over the weekend, he got the competition juices flowing at UTS Frankfurt. The vibes were all wholesome at Suwag Energie Arena, where Thiem began by reuniting with football star Mario Gotze for an unexpectedly good hit.
“I’ve played with him padel already a couple of times, so I didn’t know how he’s playing tennis. I was positively surprised,” reacts Thiem. “He has such an amazing feeling for balls. But he knows it. The technique is super clean and nice. I have to say he’s a very good tennis player. It was a perfect way to get the first balls done here.”
His peers at the eight-man field all made a point to help send Thiem off to Vienna in the best way possible. There were plenty of laughs to go around, particularly during Friday’s All Star Game challenge, and warm reflections about the impression their colleague has left.
“My first time practicing with him in Acapulco, I was 17 years old. He said some really nice things to me,” recalls Thanasi Kokkinakis. “Unlucky not to win more Grand Slams, honestly. He was that good. A really nice guy and tennis will miss him.”
Echoes Denis Shapovalov, “It’s pretty sad for me. He was the top first guy that I met as a junior when I was coming up. He was so open with me and so nice. He’s always been like a little bit of an older brother. Really been a cool guy to be around. I think everybody hates to see him go but he seems at peace with it, he seems happy. It’s nice to see.”
“Even if he’s younger than me, you can feel the intensity and everything he does. iI’s all geared towards being professional and you can always realign yourself,” believes Jan-Lennard Struff. “I’m just delighted to be here and again in Vienna. I hope he will find a nice ending for himself. He simply deserves it.”
Once Thiem was eliminated from semifinal contention Saturday night, Gael Monfils, Ben Shelton and Ugo Humbert were among a contingent to hoist the crowd favorite in the air. The moment clearly meant a lot to Thiem.
“I am certainly very touched. It was incredible, especially the way everyone stood up and applauded. It was also special that the players were on the court,” he says.
To read our entire feature story on Dominic Thiem, click here.
