Former world No.3 Dominic Thiem has shared what it's like reaching the pinnacle of the sport, describing his experience as an "illusion."
Ahead of his final tournament in Vienna before retirement, Thiem sat down in an interview with Tennis Majors to look back on his tennis journey.
After three short comings at major finals including two French Open deciders and one Australian Open final, Thiem broke his duck at the US Open in 2020.
The 31-year-old pulled out a miraculous comeback from two sets down to defeat Alexander Zverev at Flushing Meadows.
However, it wasn’t the turning point in his career from a satisfaction point of view that the Austrian expected.
"Honestly, when I look back, I realise that I gave it too much importance. I thought it would make me happy forever, that it would change my life... but that's not how it is. It's an illusion," said Thiem.
"The truth is that nothing changed. And honestly, if in 20 years, I'm still here, no one will care if I was a Grand Slam champion or not. At that moment, I didn't think that way. I thought that if I didn't win a Grand Slam, my career wouldn't be good, and I would always have doubts. It wasn't an easy situation.
"It's very nice to have that trophy at home, but in the end, it's just a trophy; it shouldn't make a difference in life. That's how I see it now. I suddenly realised this, and shortly after winning the title, I realised that it didn't have to make me happy forever.
"After three or four months, things returned to normal, not in the way I expected. It was a challenging experience, but I'm happy I lived through it."
In June 2021, Thiem was forced to retire from his first-round match at the Mallorca Championships due to sustaining a serious wrist injury that has plagued his career ever since.
He opened up on the highs and lows of attempting to get back to his peak.
"Most of the time it’s hard work. It’s suffering. It’s staying on court for hours, staying in the gym for hours, enduring tough defeats where you suffer a lot," Thiem explained.
"Of course there are victories, but sometimes also epic matches, which you lose. But if you win the tournament, if you win an epic match or if you even play an epic match, which you might lose at the end, this good feeling pays for all the bad feelings. That’s how I felt it in my in my best years."
Thiem received an emotional farewell ceremony overnight in Vienna in front of a packed-out crowd before he commences the final tournament of his professional career.
Italian Luciano Darderi awaits in the opening round.
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