Dominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion and former world No. 3, shared his thoughts on the most important thing after retiring from professional tennis – accepting the absence of a rigid schedule.
“I really enjoyed my last tournament in Vienna. Although, to be honest, I wasn`t showing my previous level, Vienna became a special event thanks to the support of many people I hadn`t seen in a long time, including legends of tennis and other sports. Ultimately, I felt relief at the end of my career.”
“In my career, there were ups and downs: periods of success were followed by failures, and then moments when I showed good play and defeated strong opponents again. At the end of my career, I was haunted by the feeling that I couldn`t hit the ball accurately. It`s hard to say whether it was a mechanical problem, psychological, or related to a nerve in my wrist. Surgery was possible, but due to its invasiveness, I am confident in the correctness of my decision.”
“The key point is adapting to life without the hectic schedule of a tennis player. Tennis is characterized by an extremely busy schedule, including constant travel, changing time zones, staying in hotels, and being away from home, which causes stress. A more flexible schedule and a shorter season could be beneficial. Many athletes from other sports have warned me about the importance of staying busy to avoid `professional burnout`.”
Marcus Prine