Dominic Thiem’s final Grand Slam match came on Monday afternoon on the same court that was the scene of his greatest triumph.
Thiem, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, lost to Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 during first-round action at Flushing Meadows. The 30-year-old Austrian, who has been unable to fully recover from 2021 wrist surgery, will retire this fall at home in Vienna.
It was just four years ago when Thiem outlasted Alexander Zverev in the U.S. Open title match. In front of no fans during the Covid-19 pandemic, Thiem came back from two sets down to topple Zverev in a fifth-set tiebreaker. He was also a three-time Grand Slam runner-up (twice at Roland Garros and once in Australia) and peaked at No. 3 in the world.
“It has been 10 years since I first played here,” Thiem told the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd afterward. “It is actually a really important moment for me, because I had my greatest success here on this court. In that weird 2020, in strange and different circumstances. I had this success unfortunately without any of you [the fans] here. It was an amazing moment but on the other hand a bit sad, so I am super happy I got the chance to play my last U.S. Open match on this court.”
“I want to say congrats to Domi and his team on an outstanding Grand Slam career,” Shelton added. “Four finals and a title is something only kids can dream about, sitting on the couch at home–which was me not too long ago. It could not happen to better people. I always see Domi’s face smiling and your team does it the right way. I am sorry this is that way this ended, but congrats on everything. You have so much to be proud of.”
Shelton will face Roberto Bautista Agut in round two on Wednesday.
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see you around, Domi