Austria's Dominic Thiem, a former U.S. Open champion, faced a disappointing exit at the Vienna Open on Tuesday, falling to Luciano Darderi with a score of 6-7 (6-8), 2-6. This defeat marked the end of Thiem's career on home soil after a prolonged battle with a wrist injury.
Earlier this year, Thiem announced his retirement from tennis, conceding defeat in his struggle to fully recover from the injury that plagued him since 2021. In the match, his 22-year-old Italian opponent, Darderi, initially appeared to struggle but ultimately clinched the first set in a tightly contested tiebreak.
However, the world No. 42 gained momentum as the match progressed, beating an increasingly vocal Thiem 6-2 in the second set.
"I would really like to thank you for all the sensational years because, of course, I am only a part of this all, the whole career," Thiem told the cheering crowd after the match.
"A huge thank you to everyone for their support over the years. The whole journey was an absolute dream," he said to his nearly 10,000 fans, who celebrated him with standing ovations.
Former world No. 3 Thiem, who is currently ranked 318th, needed a wild card to play at the ATP 500 in Vienna.
The 31-year-old Austrian's career has nose-dived since his crowning moment in 2020 when he beat Alexander Zverev in the COVID-19-affected U.S. Open final held behind closed doors.
At that time, it appeared that he was finally poised to challenge the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal.
However, his career took a turn for the worse in mid-2021 when he suffered serious ligament damage competing in Mallorca and was forced to sit out the rest of the year.
He played just two Grand Slams in 2022, and his ranking fell outside the top 100 for the first time in over a decade.
Heading into his final ATP tournament on Tuesday, Thiem, who turned pro in 2011, had won just two main draw matches all year.
Throughout his career, Thiem won 17 titles and more than $30 million in prize money.
Over the weekend, current and former tennis players, including Zverev – who Thiem faced one last time for fun on the court – and Boris Becker, paid tribute to the Austrian at a farewell party attended by thousands of fans at Vienna's Stadthalle.
Video messages from Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer were shown on Sunday, with many praising Thiem for his positive spirit and camaraderie.