"You never gave up and built an amazing empire"- Dominic Thiem pens heartfelt tribute after RedBull co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz dies aged 78
Dominic Thiem took to social media to pay tribute to Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian businessman who breathed his last on Sunday. The Austrian billionaire, who is the co-founder and 49% owner of RedBull GmbH, passed away at the age of 78.
Former World No. 3 Thiem took to Instagram to post a heartfelt message for the late businessman. In his message, he raved about his compatriot while mentioning how he helped "countless athletes" climb to the top. He also looked back fondly at their 2018 partnership deal and thanked him for his contributions.
"You never gave up and built an amazing empire. You've helped countless athletes on their way to the top. You were a man of handshake quality and had one's back even in difficult times. In 2018 we started our joint partnership and meanwhile Red Bull is a permanent part of the tennis world and for me more than a sponsor. Thanks for everything; Dietrich Mateschitz," Dominic Thiem captioned his post.
How has Dominic Thiem performed 2022 season so far
Dominic Thiem kickstarted his season with the Marbella Challenger Tour in March, where he lost 6-3, 6-4 to Argentina's Pedro Cachin in the first round. He continued his poor form at the Belgrade Open, where the made another early exit following a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 defeat to John Millman.
The 29-year-old's losing streak continued till the Salzburg Challenger Tour, the eighth tournament of his season, where he won his first-round match before falling at the next hurdle, going down 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to Facundo Bagnis. He performed better at the Swedish Open, where he defeated two top 50 players, Emil Ruusuvuori and Roberto Bautista Agut, en route to the quarterfinals. His progress was halted in the last eight by Sebastian Baez, who won 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.
At the Swiss Open, Thiem reached the semifinals, where he lost 6-1, 6-4 to Matteo Berrettini. At Kitzbuhel, the Austrian lost to Yannick Hanfmann 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. He reached his first final of the season at the Open de Rennes, but could not win his maiden title of the year as he went down 6-3, 6-0 to home favorite Ugo Humbert in the summit clash.
He reached back-to-back semifinals at the Gijon Open and the European Open, losing 6-4, 6-4 to Andrey Rublev and 6-7(4), 6-3, 7-6(4) to Sebastian Korda respectively.