Dominic Thiem never heard the distinct sounds of the New York crowd when he won the U.S. Open for his only Grand Slam title.
Arthur Ashe Stadium was almost empty during his memorable comeback on that 2020 night, as the COVID-19 pandemic meant the tournament was held without fans.
Even though his Grand Slam career ended Monday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 loss to No. 13 seed Ben Shelton in the first round, Thiem said the match was significant for him. It gave him a chance to play before a full stadium on the court where he achieved his greatest victory.
“To say thank you to all of you,” Thiem told the fans, “and to make the time up for what we missed four years ago.”
Thiem, who will turn 31 next week, has struggled with wrist injuries in recent years and had already announced that this would be his final season. He was given a wild card by the U.S. Tennis Association for the tournament, which became just his 10th match of the season.
Thiem defeated Alexander Zverev in the 2020 final, winning a fifth-set tiebreaker to become the first man to win the U.S. Open after losing the first two sets since 1949. That was Thiem’s fourth Grand Slam final, and it seemed likely he would have more.
The Austrian had reached No. 3 in the ATP rankings that March after getting to the Australian Open final, and the year ended with him in the top 10 for a fifth consecutive season. He had also made two French Open finals before that.
But Thiem injured his right wrist in June 2021, and he could never regain the form or strength in his forehand that had allowed him to beat the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal 9-3 during the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
The forehand, Thiem said, “never came back like it was before.”
He certainly doesn’t have the power of Shelton, who used his strong left-handed serve to reach the 2023 U.S. Open semifinals—following a second-round win over Thiem.
They had a friendly exchange at the net, and Shelton encouraged the crowd to show their appreciation for Thiem.
“Obviously I have been out here a couple years now, and he’s kind of been in and out playing tournaments and not playing tournaments,” Shelton said. “So you hate to see a guy like that, such a nice guy, great player, go through the injuries and deal with all that he’s dealt with.
“But I think if I learn anything from him, it’s that this is a game that is unforgiving. Things can change quick. You can be at the top of the game, and your body doesn’t hold up or some freak accident happens. Injuries happen all the time. So tennis isn’t forever. I think that’s one thing to learn and take away.
Obviously still had a career that a lot of people dream about.” Thiem was given a framed collage of photos of himself in action at the U.S. Open.
He mentioned that he will play two more events before retiring, finishing his career at the ATP event in Vienna in October. Thiem said he plans to stay involved in tennis somehow and already has an academy in Austria. While he feels at peace with his retirement plan, he knows there’s a part of tennis he will miss.
“I think that the thing I will miss the most is, like, this feeling after winning a great match. It’s not really comparable to anything else,” Thiem said. “You don’t really get this feeling, I mean, in my case, in life outside of tennis, because it’s a real high. It’s like being on drugs a little bit, I guess.
“I mean, I know that probably this feeling is not coming back again, so this is for sure also the one I’m going to miss the most.”
Later Monday, Diego Schwartzman played his last U.S. Open match, losing 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to Gael Monfils. Schwartzman made it through qualifying to the main draw for the 11th straight year at the tournament where he had reached the quarterfinals twice.
Schwartzman, 32, plans to end his career in his native Argentina in February 2025. At just 5-foot-8, he reached the 2020 French Open semifinals and finished that year ranked No. 9 in the ATP rankings. He was emotional at the end of his match and received praise afterward for his achievements in New York.
“It’s crazy for me,” Schwartzman said. “Since I’m young, I never dreamed of this. I finished my career this way, it’s very special and very emotional.”
