The 31-year-old bid farewell to the sport with 17 titles to his name, one of which is the 2020 US Open title.

Thiem ends his tennis career with a reputation as one of the game’s most fearsome ballstrikers, especially with his one-handed backhand, which has become a rare sight in the game.

Does Dominic Thiem think he is more talented than Nick Kyrgios?

At his peak Dominic Thiem was one of the most difficult players to face on the ATP Tour.

Thiem, as well as Andy Murray, are the only players to have defeated the ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at least five times each.

During an interview with Tennis Majors, the former World number three outlined what made him so effective against his opponents, and explained why he had to rely on his hard work more than natural ability.

This is when he mentioned if he has more talent than Nick Kyrgios, who is one of tennis’ most talented players. “Yes, I sometimes have pain. The joint is still a little stiff,” Thiem said when asked if he suffers pain in his wrist. “But that’s not the main problem. The big problem is that I can’t accelerate it like before.

“One of my great strengths is the “spin” and the rhythm that I could give to my shots. That’s what hurt my opponents. And the wrist played an important role in my hitting technique. From the moment it broke down on that point, my level dropped.

“I’m not a player who can rely on his serve, nor do I have the talent of a Nick Kyrgios. I need to be at 100% and my shots to be 100% too. If that’s not the case, I’m no longer a world-class player. Ultimately, that’s also why I ended up getting injured.”

Does Dominic Thiem have any regrets over how he played and approached tennis?

During this interview Thiem admitted once he suffered a wrist injury, it was never the same again and he was unable to rediscover his best form.

He certainly maximised everything from his body and pushed himself to the limit each time he stepped on court.

Though his career ended earlier than he intended, Thiem was rewarded for the punishment his body took and he has no regrets with how he approached tennis. 

“I asked a lot from my wrist, which has taken so much violence from strikes since I was very young. At one point, it could have completely given up,” Thiem added.

“It’s true that I trained a lot to achieve my goals. Now, did I overdo it? I wouldn’t say that. Because I think it was the only way for me to get there. To be in the top 10, to get close to the Grand Slam titles, that was the price to pay.”

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