Dominic Thiem concluded his professional tennis career with a single Grand Slam title, though his trophy count could have been higher on multiple occasions. The Austrian player retired at the age of 31 following persistent struggles with a wrist injury.
Reflecting on Roland Garros Battles
Before reaching his first major final at the 2018 French Open, Thiem suffered semifinal exits at the tournament in both 2016 and 2017. Navigating a brutal draw in 2018, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Kei Nishikori, and Alexander Zverev to reach the championship match in Paris, where he faced Rafael Nadal.
Prior to that meeting, Thiem had defeated Nadal twice on clay surfaces, but failed to win a single set against him across two previous encounters at Roland Garros. At the time, only Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic had ever defeated Nadal at the French Open, with Alexander Zverev later joining that exclusive list in 2024.
Thiem suffered a straight-sets defeat in 2018, but returned to the final in 2019 with heightened conviction after defeating Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Although he secured the second set against Nadal, he ultimately lost 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Discussing the 2018 showdown in an interview with Talking Tennis, Thiem explained, “In 2018, I had too little belief, unfortunately. But also it was my first time in the final [of a Grand Slam]. I won Lyon the week before and then I had Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round and Matteo Berrettini in the third round, so it was a really tough draw.”
He added regarding his physical state, “And I was also already, unfortunately, physically a bit too tired. And also, of course, I had to get used to playing that deep in a Grand Slam. So, unfortunately, the belief was missing there in 2018. In 2019 it was different.”
Describing the mindset during the subsequent encounter, Thiem stated, “I was stepping onto the court in the final to beat Rafa, to win the French Open. I was also playing so well. I was in great shape, beating Novak Djokovic before in the semifinals. But I mean, sometimes you just have to accept that on the other side there’s an opponent who is just in a different league.”
He further noted, “And on that specific day, Rafa was unbelievable. It was very painful that day. But also, if I look back now, I’m really proud and happy to face this guy on the other side of the net who was playing this unbelievable clay-court level. So, yeah, it was a great final and a great memory.”
Although he never contested another French Open final following 2019, Thiem reached the Australian Open title match in 2020 and finally secured his maiden Grand Slam victory at the US Open by overcoming a two-set deficit against Alexander Zverev.
