Dominic Thiem’s emotional farewell to professional tennis on Tuesday tugged even at the heart strings of a man whom he regularly got the better of when they met on tour: Roger Federer. The Swiss legend penned a heartfelt note to the Austrian on social media in the aftermath of what was Thiem’s final match: a 7-6(6), 6-2 loss to Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the first round of the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
“No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands,” wrote the Swiss legend in his tribute to the Austrian’s “illustrious career” in a post to his Instagram.
“But more importantly, you did it with grace and sportsmanship,” Federer added.
Thiem’s success against Federer, as well as the Big 3 as a whole, was one of the hallmarks of the Austrian’s career peak. He beat Federer five times in seven matches, including in the final of Indian Wells in 2019 for his only ATP Masters 1000 crown, and also scored the second-most match wins against Rafael Nadal (after Novak Djokovic) on the Spaniard’s beloved clay.
