Dominic Thiem in shock development as brutal Thanasi Kokkinakis detail comes to light

The tennis world has been left stunned after reports claim Dominic Thiem could be set to retire at the end of the 2024 season after failing to recover from a long-term injury that derailed his career. Thiem is one of the most popular players on tour having threatened to dethrone Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal during their prime.

Thiem went 9-3 against Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer in 2019-20 season, before going on to win his first grand slam at the US Open. Unfortunately, the Austrian suffered a number of injuries after his first grand slam victory with his wrist a major problem.

The 30-year-old has been forced to battle through the qualifying rounds for tournaments across the last two years and has not been able to cement a ranking inside the world top 100. Currently World No.117, Thiem played the qualifiers for the Madrid Open last week. However, in a sad moment, Thiem was left helpless as he went down 6-1, 6-3 to Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Thiem has always excelled on the clay surface, but failing to qualify for the Monte Carlo Open, Madrid Open and potentially for Roland Garros is a blow to the Austrian. And after his latest loss, reports have emerged Thiem is set to retire from tennis after his injury battles.

Austrian publication SN first reported the news and claimed Thiem would be looking at an end of year date. This could be at the Vienna Open in October, which would see him farewell his home supporters.

Tennis fans rally around Dominic Thiem

The news has come as a shock to the tennis community. Thiem is a very popular player with fans with his swashbuckling groundstrokes a pleasure to watch. Unfortunately, Thiem has not been able to rediscover his best form after so many setbacks.

Thiem still has an opportunity to play Roland Garros if a number of big names withdraw, but it appears unlikely the Austrian will get a farewell at the tournament in Paris. While there has been no announcement from Thiem, tennis fans were left saddened at the reports and rallied around the Austrian favourite.

Thiem's career took a hit after a tear in his right wrist in 2021. Thiem took nine months off after the injury. The 30-year-old battled his way back, but fought through a number of injury setbacks with the wrist and his forehand upon his return.

In 2024, Thiem has played six times having only won two singles matches. The Austrian has won 17 singles titles in his career, which included the US Open and Indian Wells. His last title came back in 2020.

Thiem's highest career-ranking was World No.3, which came during the domination of Djokovic and Nadal. The 30-year-old's retirement comes after sad scenes last year when Juan Martin Del Potro called time after injuries derailed his career.

Having also won the US Open, del Potro's career took a number of setbacks after a knee surgery took its toll. Fans were also sad to see the larger-than-life character leave the sport having shown so much talent in his prime.