Dominic Thiem, the 32-year-old former US Open champion who retired at the end of 2024, has teased a return to tennis in a new capacity. In an Instagram story, he announced news coming on March 23 about continuing his journey by passing on his knowledge and experience.
Dominic Thiem ended his professional tennis career after the 2024 season, following struggles to regain his peak form after a 2021 wrist injury. The former World No. 3 and winner of 17 ATP titles shared an update on Instagram, stating: “Hi everyone! I have some news to share with you soon. After an incredible 14 years competing on the ATP Tour, my journey will be continuing in a new and exciting way. Looking forward to passing on my knowledge and experience in the sport I love most. Monday, March 23 #partner #announcement”.Thiem's message suggests involvement with younger players, though specifics remain undisclosed. Such transitions are common in tennis; for instance, Boris Becker coached Novak Djokovic to additional titles, Juan Carlos Ferrero guided Carlos Alcaraz to major success, and Ivan Lendl helped Andy Murray secure his first Grand Slam.Thiem's retirement stemmed from a realization in early 2024 that his results no longer met his standards. He recounted in an interview with ‘Von Nix Kommt Nix’: “It was definitely a certain moment, I would say at the beginning of 2024... I lost in the first round in Hungary, which was a huge blow, and then in Croatia I had a disastrous performance, losing in the second round, and that was the point where I said ‘well, this is pointless’.”His career highlights include the 2020 US Open title over Alexander Zverev, runner-up finishes at the 2018 and 2019 French Open against Rafael Nadal, and the 2020 Australian Open final loss to Novak Djokovic. His best Wimbledon result was the fourth round in 2017.