Dominic Thiem has hinted that his career could be over if he doesn’t see some major improvements this year. The former world No. 3 looked to be the player to carry the torch when the Big Three era ended. Thiem was the first man born in the 1990s to win a Grand Slam title and had a winning record against Roger Federer, also getting some significant victories over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. But his career was derailed by a wrist injury he picked up in 2021 and he has never returned to the top 50 since dropping out more than two years ago.
Thiem was once the heir to the throne set to be left behind by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. The Austrian reached his first Grand Slam final at the 2018 French Open and contested two more Major finals before he finally won the 2020 US Open. Thiem had a 5-2 winning record over Federer, most notably beating him in the 2019 Indian Wells final to win his first Masters title.
He also beat Djokovic in five of their 12 meetings, including twice at the French Open, and won six of his 16 matches against Nadal. Thiem looked primed to go on and dominate after 2020, a season which saw him lose a five-set final to Djokovic at the Australian Open before he won the US Open and reached the final of the ATP Finals, beating both Djokovic and Nadal en route.
But trouble struck for Thiem when he injured his wrist at the 2021 Mallorca Championships. Since then, the 30-year-old has just one match win at a Grand Slam. He fell out of the top 50 in April 2022 and his highest ranking since has been No. 72. As he continues to hang around the top 100, the Austrian has confessed that the 2024 season is his “last chance” to make a big push.
The 17-time title winner is set to skip the upcoming Masters 1000s in Indian Wells and Miami in favour of playing three Challengers on the clay in Szekesfehervar, Zadar and Napoli. With few points to defend between now and Monte Carlo, Thiem is hoping that he can make strides with his ranking by dropping down to the Challenger level.
“Then I can soon move towards the top 70, 60 – and I can also plan better, because the ranking where I am now is a difficult one. Every 250 tournament is a nail-biter,” he told Der Standard. “I see this as my last chance. If I make it, it can happen quickly.” Thiem is aiming to finish this year inside the world’s top 50. If he fails at his goal, it could be curtains for the 30-year-old.
He continued: “I’ve been back for two years now since the injury, and I finished 2022 on 100 or so and last year on 98. If I finish the year on 100 again, you have to think about whether it’s still worth it. I’ve been in rankings for two years now that I don’t want to be in. Of course that weighs on me.”
The former US Open champion is also taking drastic measures in his bid to climb back towards the top. Thiem parted ways with coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh after suffering a tough five-set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the recent Australian Open. He is close to agreeing on a deal with a new coach but confirmed that his new mentor would not be an Austrian or a big name, instead opting for “someone who knows me as a player – from a young age, so to speak”.
Explaining how difficult it had been hanging around the world’s top 100 since his wrist injury derailed his career, Thiem added: “There are a lot of things that I haven’t known for years, such as worrying for ages about getting into the main events of tournaments. I’ve never done it for the money either.
“I’m not a person who cares much about money. I’m as honest as that, I don’t really care about the whole issue. I’ve been chasing the feeling of really being able to play tennis in a match again for a long time. And the way I expect myself to.” Thiem is set to represent Austria in this weekend’s Davis Cup tie against Austria. He will then play in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown exhibition in Oslo before turning his attention to the Challengers.