Coco Gauff shares one-word reaction to Dominic Thiem reflecting on "giving too much importance" to maiden Grand Slam triumph
Dominic Thiem is gearing up for life after tennis and recently mused about how his career changed after winning the 2020 US Open. His interesting take on the topic caught the eye of another Major winner, Coco Gauff.
Dominic Thiem will draw curtains on his hugely successful tennis career at his home tournament in Vienna. The Austrian had announced in May that he would retire from tennis this year largely due to persistent injuries that have hampered his career over the last two years. Moreover, the 31-year-old felt it was time for him to move on from tennis.
Thiem is set to play at the 2024 Erste Bank Open in Vienna and sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Tennis Majors to reflect on his career. During the conversation, Thiem was asked how his life was affected after winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open and opined that it hadn't changed much.
In an honest admission, the former World No. 3 stated that his life would have stayed the same even if he hadn't triumphed in New York four years ago. Thiem realized he had put too much stock into getting his hands on a Grand Slam trophy but was happy to have gone through that experience once in his life.
"Honestly, when I look back, I realize that I gave it too much importance. I thought it would make me happy forever, that it would change my life... but that's not how it is. It's an illusion. The truth is that nothing changed. And honestly, if in 20 years, I'm still here, no one will care if I was a Grand Slam champion or not. At that moment, I didn't think that way. I thought that if I didn't win a Grand Slam, my career wouldn't be good, and I would always have doubts,"
"It wasn't an easy situation. It's very nice to have that trophy at home, but in the end, it's just a trophy; it shouldn't make a difference in life. That's how I see it now. I suddenly realized this, and shortly after winning the title, I realized that it didn't have to make me happy forever. After three or four months, things returned to normal, not in the way I expected. It was a challenging experience, but I'm happy I lived through it."
Dominic Thiem's comment struck a chord with Coco Gauff, who was in the global limelight for a long time after emerging victorious at the US Open last year. The American took to Instagram to agree with the Austrian's account, writing "real."
Dominic Thiem plays farewell exhibition match in Austria featuring Alexander Zverev
Before playing his first-round match at the 2024 Erste Bank Open, Dominic Thiem received a special farewell ceremony that featured a one-set exhibition match against Alexander Zverev on October 21. Thiem had bettered Zverev in the final of the 2020 US Open.
After the exhibition, Thiem walked through a guard of honor featuring Frances Tiafoe, Matteo Berrettini, Jack Draper, his former coach Nicolas Massu, as well as German legend Boris Becker. The Austrian was overwhelmed by the gesture and thanked his friends for participating in his farewell proceedings.
“It was an incredible journey. You were the most important ones, opponents and friends and it was always a pleasure to be with you. It means so much to me that you were there today,” said Thiem.
Dominic Thiem has been awarded a main draw wildcard at the ATP 500 tournament and will face Luciano Darderi in the first round. Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur are the top seeds at Vienna, and they will face Joel Schwärzler and Jan-Lennard Struff, respectively.