Dominic Thiem, an eternal legacy

Streaming Challenger Zagreb live tennis

🎾 George Loffhagen vs Dominic Stricker

1. Sign up with Bet365 here
2. Make your first deposit of at least €5
3. Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

 PUBLICIDAD

Register at bet365, deposit €5 or more into your account and you will receive 100% of your eligible deposit in Bet Credits (up to €100). New customers only. Terms apply. Winnings do not include the value of Bet Credits. Maximum prizes, game restrictions, time limits and terms apply. Registration required.

The search for glory and the disappointment after finding it; the thrilling day-to-day exploring one's own and others' limits until conquering the peak and feeling an abyssal emptiness. This can summarize the career of Dominic Thiem, a player who leaves at 31 years old satisfied and proud of what he has accomplished, valuing the magic of his achievements much more than the misfortune that deprives us of his talent prematurely.

A child falls in love with tennis and dominates all his rivals until someone explains to him that he is going to stop being the best for a few years because he needs to change his backhand. He will transition from playing with two hands to wielding this stroke with one. It will take time to adapt, and when he starts to see the light, a tremendous growth at the age of 16 generates physical problems, anatomical imbalances, and doubts. Dominic Thiem has lived in a constant reboot until the computer of his mind collapsed, exhausted from reinventing himself to challenge a glory that was achieved but not enjoyed.

It is said that Thiem could be seen running through the Austrian forests as the elite began to loom, following military routines consisting of transporting logs along paths full of obstacles, guided by the light of the moon and understanding that only in this way could he reach his dreams. Nicknamed the Prince of clay courts, he saw no sign of abdication in the Supreme King, against whom he clashed in two Roland Garros finals, but whom he could overthrow on hard courts.

- Thiem spent 260 weeks in the top 10, 26 of them as world number 3

Few players have dared to challenge the dominance of the Big 3, and one of them has been Thiem. A positive record against Federer, capable of defeating Nadal 6 times and Djokovic 5 times, many of them in advanced rounds of the world's most important tournaments, Masters 1000 champion (Indian Wells), Grand Slam champion (US Open), and two-time ATP Finals runner-up. His transformation from being a clay court specialist to emerging as an all-rounder capable of overpowering anyone is worthy of a movie.

We will never forget that forehand that seemed to cause an earthquake on the planet, that way of moving his hand forward while his body swayed to the rhythm of his wrist, imparting a topspin effect to his ball worthy of a Nadal heir. Those screams with which he tore through the air as much as his lightning-quick one-handed backhand strokes, those serves with lethal spin that displaced the opponent as if they were a puppet.

- He has won 17 titles and lost 12 finals

Thiem pushed his body and mind beyond reasonable limits, becoming a rock capable of shattering the confidence of the best in history in crucial sets (8-3 in his favor against the full Big 3) and in tiebreaks (14-7 against Roger, Rafa, and Novak). He found the deserved reward in that 2020 US Open stripped of spectators and conditioned by anti-Covid measures, and he realized that he had spent his whole life fighting for something that didn't make him happy, and that what truly brought him happiness was that stressful process of seeking excellence, impossible to repeat with the tank of energy empty.

Life wanted it that, just as he was regaining motivation, his body did not match his mind and waved the white flag pleading for mercy in the cruelest way. The wrist fracture suffered in Mallorca in 2021 was the climax of the career of a giant, who tried to bounce back but faced harsh reality. Nothing was as it used to be. He leaves behind a legacy of unforgettable matches, a very sportsmanlike attitude, and impeccable competitive honor. Dominic Thiem is leaving us, but we will never forget him.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Dominic Thiem, un legado eterno