© Getty Images Sport – Mike Stobe
Dominic Thiem, 30, has hinted that he may be calling it quits on his career if he fails to return to the top-50 by the end of the 2024 season.
Thiem, a former world No. 3, is currently the 90th-ranked player in the world. Since accomplishing his goal of becoming a Grand Slam champion at the 2020 US Open, Thiem hasn’t had much success and he hasn’t been considered a top player for a while now.
After sustaining a wrist injury in 2021 June and returning to tennis in 2022 March, Thiem wasn’t putting pressure on himself to instantly rediscover his best tennis but he was hoping to return to the top by the end of 2022 or during the 2023 season.
But that hasn’t happened as Thiem hasn’t won any titles on the main level since the 2020 US Open and he has also been ranked outside the top-50 since 2022 April.
Thiem could retire if he fails to return to the top-50
“I see this as my last chance. If I can do it, it can happen quickly. I’ve been back for two years now since the injury, and I finished 2022 at 100 or so and last year at 98,” Thiem told Der Standard.
“Should I end the year at 100 again, you have to think about whether the whole thing is still worth it. For two years now I’ve been in ranking spheres that I don’t want to be in. Of course that puts a strain on me.”
After starting the 2024 season with back-to-back first-round exits at the Brisbane International and Australian Open, Thiem also decided to part ways with coach Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh.
When it comes to his upcoming plans, Thiem won’t be competing at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. Instead, Thiem plans to play three clay Challengers in March and that way try to prepare as best as he can for the clay season.
