One of the most elegant one-handed backhanders in tennis history – Dominic Thiem has officially retired after 13 years of professional competition.

The tennis player once known as the “Prince of Clay” – Dominic Thiem played the last match of his professional tennis career after losing to Luciano Darderi 6-7; 2-6 in the first round match of the Erste Bank Open (Vienna Open) 2024 which took place last night (October 22) Vietnam time.

The centre court was packed for Thiem’s big day – the Austrian had previously declared the Vienna Open his last tournament of his career. However, with the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Thiem had no desire for this to be his last match, playing brilliantly in the first points with his trademark one-handed backhands down the line. The 1993-born player had a break-point to lead Darderi 4-2.

However, Darderi fought back to reclaim the break point and level the score at 4-4. The two sides then had to settle the score in a tie-break, where Thiem was not resilient enough to make a difference against his opponent.

Thiem’s physical condition deteriorated with a severely damaged wrist, making it impossible for him to hold on in the second set. The home player hit the ball too many times and had a hard time in the long rallies with his opponent. As a result, he lost break-points in games 1 and 5, losing 2-6 and officially ending his career here.

“I’ve received so many well wishes over the past few months, but today I want to say thank you to all of you for what could not have been more amazing. My entire journey has been a dream and I want this afternoon and evening (local time) to be all about you. I couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful – thank you!

Tennis has been growing in Austria in recent years. Please keep it going. That’s my request to you. This is a great sport that needs to be preserved for the future. Again, that’s my request to you.” , Thiem said after the match.

In the past, Dominic Thiem was the world’s top tennis player with a one-handed backhand that captivated many fans. He won 1 Grand Slam at the US Open in 2020 and 3 times reached the Major finals at Roland Garros (2018, 2019) and Australian Open (2020); 1 ATP 1,000 at Indian Wells 2019 with a victory over Roger Federer; 5 ATP 500 titles and 10 ATP 250 championships, etc.

Unfortunately, a serious wrist injury has severely affected the career of the “Prince of Clay”. Unable to maintain his physical condition in a top tennis environment, Dominic Thiem was forced to make a difficult decision at the age of only 31.