"It's a pity to see Dominic Thiem struggle and never be able to come back to the level he was before" - Daniil Medvedev on Austrian's retirement
Daniil Medvedev talked about Dominic Thiem and the Austrian's imminent retirement at a press conference after his second-round win over Jack Draper at the ongoing Italian Open. The Russian, the No. 2 seed at the ATP Masters 1000 event and the defending champion, registered a straightforward 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Brit.
Thiem, a former World No. 3 and the 2020 US Open champion, sustained a right wrist injury at the 2021 Mallorca Championships that would eventually go on to derail his career.
Despite lengthy spells out, surgical intervention and numerous attempts to resurrect his career, the Austrian has struggled to find form, and is currently languishing at a lowly World No. 117 on the ATP rankings.
Recently, the 30-year-old announced via social media that he would call time on his career at the end of this season.
"Hello everybody, I have to tell you a very important, very sad but also a very beautiful message. The season 2024 is going to be my last one. I'm going to finish my career at the end of this season," Thiem said in an Instagram post.
Medvedev's was asked about his thoughts on Thiem's retirement during his post-match press conference aftet beating Draper in Rome.
The Russian called the Austrian's inability to get back to his best "a pity" but said that he would have a good life without tennis.
"It's a pity to see him (Thiem) struggle after his injury and never be able to come back to the level he was before. I'm sure, knowing him, he's going to be fine without tennis. He's going to have a good life, happy life. I think that's the most important, so I wish him all the best," Medvedev said.
"Dominic Thiem and I had some unbelievable moments" - Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev also reflected on his rivalry with Dominic Thiem during the aforementioned press conference. The Russian recalled the "unbelievable moments" the two shared at the 2020 US Open and the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals. He went on to revisit his 2020 US Open semifinal loss (2-6, 6(7)-7, 6(5)-7) to Thiem at length, saying that he felt surprised at the time by the Austrian's aggressive game.
"We had some I felt unbelievable moments. Me personally, the most I remember is US Open semifinal and the final in London of ATP Masters. In US Open I felt like I was playing good, in a good run, semifinal. He beat me. I was surprised with the way he played, surprised in a way where he played very good, very strong," Daniil Medvedev said.
The Russian proceeded to talk about the final of the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals as well, where he exacted revenge on the Austrian with a 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4 victory.
"In Nitto was unbelievable because in my opinion he played maybe even stronger than US Open and I managed to turn this around. I remember these two matches," Medvedev added.
Daniil Medvedev and Dominic Thiem faced each other six times on the ATP Tour, and are tied at 3-3 in their head-to-head.
The Russian's next outing is slated to be in the third round of the Italian Open, where he will take on Hamad Medjedovic. The Serb ousted No. 30 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the previous round, winning 7-5, 6-4.