“You always found a way to beat me,” Roger Federer pens heartfelt message for Dominic Thiem as he retires from tour
As Dominic Thiem hung up his racket in Vienna on Tuesday, Roger Federer looked back at their rivalry and congratulated the Austrian.
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Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer (Image via ATP Tour)
Dominic Thiem hung up his racket on Tuesday as he lost to Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the first round of the Vienna Open. Only 31, the Austrian has to retire early because of the injury troubles he has faced. Despite several attempts, Thiem has not been able to redeem his old self who used to beat Roger Federer every now and then.
Thiem beat the 20-time Grand Slam champion five out of seven times they faced against each other. Now that he is retired, Federer penned a heartfelt message for his ex-rival. The Swiss maestro congratulated Thiem on an “illustrious career” and also praised the Austrian for finding a way to beat him.
Federer used the picture from their 2019 Indian Wells match where Thiem reigned supreme in three sets (3-6, 6-3, 7-5) and clinched his first Masters title. The same year, he again defeated Federer at the ATP Finals, this time 7-5, 7-5.
An illustrious career comes to a close. No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands. But more importantly, you did it with grace and sportsmanship.
Roger Federer wrote on Instagram, bidding farewell to Dominic Thiem
Roger Federer on Dominic Thiem ? pic.twitter.com/ls3IWFQHuy
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) October 22, 2024
Three of Thiem’s five wins against Federer came in 2019. Apart from defeating the former World No.1 in Indian Wells and ATP Finals, the 2020 US Open champion also beat Federer in the Madrid Masters quarterfinals. The remaining two wins came for him at the 2016 Stuttgart Open semifinal and 2016 Rome Masters pre-quarterfinal.
Dominic Thiem leaves the tour with no regrets
Despite injuries forcing him to retire earlier than expected, Dominic Thiem leaves the tour with no regrets. He instead expressed gratitude for the fact that he was able to realize his dream and play at the highest level.
Thiem acknowledged that he never expected the career he had. The Austrian also expressed gratitude for having played in the same era as the Big Three.
I was very lucky to stay healthy most of the time to basically live out all my dreams. And yes, I never expected to have a career like this when I was young. All I wanted was to be a professional tennis player, whatever that brought…The privilege of playing in the same era, alongside the Big 3, the Big 4, makes me very happy.
Dominic Thiem said after bowing out of Vienna Open (H/T: Puntodebreak)
Thiem leaves the tour with 17 titles and a win-loss record of 348-214. Currently ranked 318th in the world, Thiem was once a World No.3.
Also, apart from defeating Roger Federer five times, he also got the best out of Rafael Nadal six times and Novak Djokovic five times.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)