Dominic Thiem blames the Big Three for his wrist injury that forced him to announce retirement at 30

Dominic Thiem discussed various topics, from his US Open victory to thoughts of early retirement, ultimately placing some blame on the dominance of the Big Three.

Dominic Thiem blames the Big Three for his wrist injury that forced him to announce retirement at 30

Dominic Thiem, Big Three i.e. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic (Images via Imago)

Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem blamed the Big Three for his injury that has forced him to announce an early retirement. He has claimed that his wrist injury was somehow a result of playing against the three greatest of all-time players. However, the Austrian also revealed another big reason that led to the career-threatening injury.

Thiem revealed that the intense practice sessions he had put additional pressure on his wrist and it eventually broke. The 30-year-old strived to become better and match the best players in the world, he always had “a big load and intensity” in practice sessions.

YouTube video
(Playing against the best) contributed to the injury, definitely, I was competing with the three greatest of all time. That was intense. But also, all the years before, I always had a big load and intensity in my practice. That’s something the doctor and many other people said: that at one point the wrist broke because of all the shots I did, all the hard practice I did all those years before.
Dominic Thiem said in an interview to The New York Times ahead of 2024 US Open.

Thiem enjoyed a healthy rivalry with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. While the Austrian led Federer 5-2 in their head-to-head record, he trailed 6-10 against Nadal. Against Djokovic, Thiem fought almost equally well, winning 5 out of the 12 matches played between them. Among the wins was also a quarterfinal and semifinal win at Roland Garros and a semifinal win at the ATP Finals.

FS Video
RELATED
“Hopefully that changes this year,” Novak Djokovic hopes to end the defending champion’s curse at the US Open 2024
Novak Djokovic US Open 2024

Dominic Thiem considers himself lucky for sharing career timeline with Big Three

Dominic Thiem holds the Big Three accountable for his wrist injury. The Austrian tennis star, however, considers himself lucky to have competed in the same era as them. Thiem never expected himself to win a Grand Slam title and reach No.3 in the rankings.

Dominic-Thiem-US_Open
Dominic Thiem with his US Open trophy (Image via Vogue)
I consider myself lucky to be in that timeline with the Big Three and all the other great players. I came up into the top 100 way later than most; they came up when they were, like, 18, whereas I was 20 and a half. I didn’t think it would be possible that I’d be a Grand Slam champion and No 3 in the world.
Dominic Thiem said

Thiem won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open as he beat German tennis ace Alexander Zverev in a tight five-setter. Despite losing the first two sets, Thiem came back strong and won the third and fourth set to stay in the hunt. In the decider, the two players went full throttle, with it going into the tiebreak.

Eventually, Thiem clinched the match by racing to seven points while Zverev could only win four. With the scoreline reading 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(4), Thiem had the filtering US Open trophy in his hand and the biggest moment of his career. Fast forward to the 2024 US Open, he is ready to play in New York for one last time.

In case you missed!