Dominic Thiem: Vienna fans pay tribute to retired ATP Tour star | ATP Tour

Dominic Thiem

‘We wish him all the best’: Vienna fans pay tribute to retired Thiem

The local hero is a sports icon in Austria

October 22, 2024

He may have retired at the early age of 31, but Dominic Thiem will nonetheless leave a significant legacy after he hangs up his racquet.

Nowhere was that more clear than in Vienna, where the home favorite on Tuesday ended his professional career after losing in the first round to Luciano Darderi at the Erste Bank Open. Thiem, a former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings and a 17-time tour-level champion, was cheered on by his home fans with one last, emotional effort at his home ATP 500.

“He means a lot,” Thiem fan Petra Höllerl told ATPTour.com when asked what the 2020 US Open champion has done for Austrian tennis. “He was one of the best, and together with Thomas Muster he is our hero. For our children and for us, so we are a little lost now… It was his last game, so we supported him and trusted him. We wish him all the best.”

The fans love Domi and Domi loves the fans 🥰@ErsteBankOpen | #ErsteBankOpen pic.twitter.com/u9va2HXHvM

– ATP Tour (@atptour) October 21, 2024

Daniela and her young son Niklas, who were also at the Wiener Stadthalle for Tuesday’s game, also spoke directly about Thiem’s ​​influence on young people.

“I think you are very important,” Daniela explained. He is an idol, especially for the younger ones. I come from the previous generation that loved Thomas Muster, but for my son, his idol is Dominic Thiem.”

Thiem may be retiring as a sports star in Austria, but many of his fans have been following him since he emerged as a talented child. They see the same qualities in the 31-year-old as they did all those years ago.

“I have seen him play many times because my eldest daughter was a soccer player in the Erste Bank Open since she was eight years old,” remembers Petra Gassner. “He is now 21 years old and still volunteers here. We followed Thiem on his journey, from the age of 16 until now. He is a good and gentle person.

“I liked his character and the way he treated other people and worked with them. It’s a bit sad that his career is ending now at the age of 31, but it continues in this way.”

Fans in Vienna turned out in force to support Austrian tennis star Thiem in his final professional event. Photo Credit: e-motion/Sascha Feuster

Thiem had a lot of success on home soil throughout his career. In 2019, he won both the clay court ATP 250 in Kitzbühel and Vienna. The 31-year-old player is clear about the role played by his fans in this success.

“They always put me in a good mood,” Thiem told ATPtour.com. “The Austrian fans have always supported me well, which has been amazing. I always loved playing in front of them.

“What I can’t take for granted is that I think I won a lot of games only with their help. I think there were a lot of close games that wouldn’t have gone my way without the Austrian fans. ”