"It’s not normal": Thiem doesn't believe in defying your age

ROLAND-GARROS 
Bye-Bye Domi!

This time, it’s over. Dominic Thiem won’t ever play at Roland-Garros again unless he comes back in a few years for the Legends event. The Austrian lost in the second round of the qualifications on Wednesday. Yes, the qualifications, because somehow two finals and two semi-finals aren’t enough to deserve a main draw wildcard here…

The irony in seeing Dominic Thiem leaving the stage, as he will retire this autumn in Vienna, is that the first thought coming to mind is: oh no, but it’s way too early to retire! He’s still so young! Thiem is 30, which is very young for life in general, and is now looking very young for professional tennis. But it’s actually not, as 30 used to be the expiration date for tennis players. What has changed for us to feel that Thiem, wrist damaged, body battered, and mind exhausted, should still be able to play at his peak level for many more years? Well, it’s another consequence of the Big 4: They made playing great and winning big way in your 30s look like a walk in the park. And suddenly, nobody wants to leave or be seen leaving anymore! Gaël Monfils is still around, being Top 40 at 37, for example.

I asked Thiem about it after his loss in Paris. He smiled. “They’re the exception! As in everything they did, they’re exceptional. I think it’s not normal, and it’s also not going to be normal in the future to see guys winning that much at 36 or 37. I’m just 30, and twenty years ago, it used to be completely fine to stop, but now it’s a bit young. But I had a very intense and demanding career, so I feel it’s a good time to stop.”

Thiem doesn’t hide the fact that even if papers say he’s 30, he feels way older than that in tennis. Another reason why he’s closing the chapter, added to the fact that his right wrist never came back to what it was. “I never felt like before, physically. That’s for sure. Especially on the forehand and some other shots that were almost impossible to regain. I also had a very intense career. I don’t really feel like I’m only 30; I feel older tennis-wise, to be honest.” He tried again this year but he just could not get back to his usual level and saw zero interest in keeping playing just to be out there. “I practiced very hard for some weeks, but results again didn’t come, and then some problems with the wrist came up again, so it was quite clear that I had to take that decision. When you start to think about retirement, it’s not a good sign.”

Thiem was emotional on the Lenglen once it was all said and done, but not overwhelmed. “Many memories came up from all the matches I had here, but also from the Juniors (he played the final here in 2011, beaten by Björn Fratangelo). It was very nice. It’s, of course, emotional, but it should also be something beautiful to close the tennis chapter. That’s how it was today: the crowd gave me a great farewell, and I got this great movie and that very nice trophy as well from Roland-Garros. I’m also very happy that I got to play the last two matches here on Suzanne Lenglen.”

The emotion that is the most powerful for him since he announced he’d retire this year is the relief, not the sadness. “I feel a bit relieved and have a feeling that I can enjoy a bit more playing tennis again. You start the game because you love it, and then if you don’t watch out, it starts to become more and more a profession, and the joy is going away very easily and very fast. It happened to me from time to time. Since I announced my decision, I’ve been able to enjoy it way more and see it as a passion again. Every athlete deserves to enjoy one more time the sports they chose. (…) I tried to enjoy every single moment because this tournament gave me so many great matches and so many great memories. I really have a positive and happy look on my relationship with Roland-Garros. (…) It was a great atmosphere, with people chanting my name: it was very emotional.”

The 2020 US Open champion has so many great memories through the years, and yet it was a bit surreal to hear him say he didn’t understand how great he was playing at the time. It’s only now, when looking back and having to pick his best achievements, that he opens his eyes. “The five years in a row when I did semi-finals, semi-finals, final, final, quarter-finals, which is a great streak,” he answered when asked about what he’s been the proudest of. “It also feels amazing to me now, much better than what it felt when I was in the middle of it. Somehow, I didn’t realize how well I was playing and, specifically at this tournament. I was always able to peak here at Roland-Garros.”

Seeing his biggest rivals still being on the Tour despite being much older might feel weird for Thiem. So when did he make peace with the fact that his career was over? “It’s very tough but probably in the beginning of this year or after Australia. I tried one more time to work hard to get back on track, but in the end, I saw I wasn’t going to reach that level again and said it was better to enjoy one last year and close that chapter. It’s not the end of life, and I hope that something new and exciting is coming.”

He has an idea of what his next projects will be, but for now, he keeps it to himself: “I have some things in my head, but it all has to stick together. I’m still a full tennis player, practicing twice a day, so there’s not really time for other things. Once it’s done in October, I will maybe take two or three weeks off, and then I have some stuff in mind to put together and start something new.” In tennis? “I always said I had 25 years of such great experiences that I have to give back to the next generations. I will stay in tennis, but I also want to go on a new path. Tennis is the thing I’m doing the best, and I will never do one thing better than tennis again in my life.”

It’s impossible to let Dominic Thiem go without asking him if, despite the outstanding career he had, he doesn’t have some regrets about the rough training sessions he went through years after years when he was very young. Does he feel that maybe he went too strong too soon? He pauses before answering. “I think that’s the way I grew up and the way I got very successful. I’m thankful that I spent all those long hours of training, but of course, it was very difficult from time to time. It was a great life experience and I can also rely on it when future challenges will come. I’m happy with everything: that’s the most important.” Indeed, it is.

ROLAND-GARROS, THE RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK 
Will they, won’t they?

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz: usually, it would be the list of the overwhelming favorites for the men’s title in Paris. Today, it’s the list of the top players that are wondering in which shape they’re going to be at Roland-Garros. Not even talking about the shape needed to win, but the shape needed to compete at a level close enough to their standards.

Will they be able to win their race against the clock, or won’t they? Not sure how we could answer that when even these players are not sure about it! So at Roland-Garros, people are monitoring Nadal and Sinner’s practice sessions to try to read into the body language and the results of the practice sets. Sinner’s hip seems to hold on fine, and Nadal is still out there hitting the ball, so it has to be good news. Same for Alcaraz, who is smiling and hitting on Chatrier.

Djokovic won his opening match in Geneva: that wasn’t cosmic tennis again, but a win is a win. He also clinched another milestone by becoming the third player in history to reach 1,100 ATP wins, behind only Jimmy Connors (1,274) and Roger Federer (1,251).

THEIR DRAW: 

• Rafael Nadal gets the disaster of the day by having to face Alexander Zverev in the first round

• Novak Djokovic will launch his campaign against Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He’s sharing the top half of that draw with Zverev, Casper Ruud and Daniil Medvedev

• Carlos Alcaraz will face a qualifier in the first round. He shares the bottom of that draw with Sinner, Andrey Rublev, and Hubert Hurkacz

• Jannik Sinner will start the tournament against Christopher Eubanks
  
  Side note: Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka for a first round. Yes, for real.

On that men's side, it’ll either be the most open and wild Roland-Garros in two decades or the biggest cold shower ever for the rest of the field. Whatever it is, pick up the popcorn already because, in one way or another, it’ll be needed.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
Are you watching the Laver Cup?

I asked you on Monday if you thought the Tour had been right to introduce these 2-week Masters 1000. You were 80% to answer no.

This week I’m wondering:

LATEST NEWS 
Look who’s back! Agassi, to rule the (Team) World

Andre Agassi is coming to Berlin for the Laver Cup in September (20-22) as an intern. Absolutely. He will shadow John McEnroe, the captain of Team World, because next year in San Francisco Agassi will be Team World’s boss. The announce came on Wednesday as we’re still waiting for the name of the new captain for Team Europe as Björn Borg is also departing.

“I am truly honored to accept the invitation to become the Laver Cup Team World Captain,” said Agassi, one of only five men to achieve a career Grand Slam in the Open Era. “The competitive level of Laver Cup is off the charts, and it’s easy to see why. You’re there with the team, your peers, guys you respect and everybody has a responsibility. For me the key will be understanding and managing the players’ needs throughout the year and really getting to know them so that I can select the matchups to give us the best chance to get wins on the board and bring home the Laver Cup. I hope I can build the rapport, respect and trust with the players as John has done and I can’t wait to take on this role, it’s not one I’m taking lightly.”

The One Where Monica Fights the Queen

The week before Roland-Garros is often very busy off the court for the top players. Brands’ commitments take priority as many activities have been planned weeks in advance to showcase the stars and their logos. But sometimes, business meets pop culture in a great campaign idea, and that’s what happened with On bringing Courtney Cox to share the court with Iga Swiatek. I mean, to challenge Iga you cannot do much better than Monica, the most competitive among the Friends we know! It’s also nice to see Swiatek having a bit of fun before trying to clinch a fourth title in Paris.

On has been all over the Swiatek era so far, even releasing a short documentary about her relationship to being the World No.1.

Venus goes Barbie

Venus Williams will get her own Barbie doll. Mattel announced on Wednesday that she’ll join seven other athletes having this honor. So who made the cut? Gymnasts Rebeca Andrade and Alexa Moreno, soccer players Mary Fowler and Christine Sinclair, boxer Estelle Mossely, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez, and track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda. Mattel explained what was the idea behind this in a statement: they’re aiming at showing “the impact of sports in fostering self-confidence, ambition, and empowerment among the next generation.”

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
Gauff: “I encourage everyone to vote”

Coco Gauff has never been shy to speak her mind on tough matters. She was there to speak at a Black Lives Matter rally at just 16, she was there to call for the end of gun violence after qualifying for her first Grand Slam final at Roland-Garros in 2022. And so she’s there too in 2024 to call for people to use their voice and vote, not mincing her words about what she thinks of what’s going on in Florida right now. She told AP it was “a crazy time to be a Floridian, especially a Black one at that.”

“We aren’t happy with the current state of our government in Florida, especially everything with the books and just the way our office operates,” Gauff said, referring to a two-year-long controversy over banning books from the schools. (…) “At the end of the day, it comes down to the youth and the community being outspoken. So I encourage everyone to vote, and use your voice regardless of who you vote for. There’s no point in complaining (about) the political climate of the world if you don’t exercise your right to vote. I feel like sometimes, in my generation, people think their vote doesn’t count. We should just all just use our voices and use the power that we have.” She said what she said.

The BBC has extended coverage of Carlos Alcaraz with an interview of the player, of course, but also of his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and his first coach, Kiko Navarro. “I want to be part of tennis history,” says Alcaraz, explaining how he remains ambitious despite knowing that “it is almost impossible to break Novak's records, but I’m playing tennis for myself, for joy, and I want to do great things.” Ferrero loves that mindset: “What I like most is him thinking big and not just thinking small. To be one of the greatest, you have to think big.”

Cinci gets a glow-up for 2025

Cincinnati is doing its own let’s get ready with me, the tennis version. The Masters 1000 presented this week the plans for the revamped tournament that will expand, like most of the Masters 1000, next year. The goal? Improve the fans and players ’ experiences. And so the entire campus will be reimagined, a “2000-seat sunken stadium” will be created, added to nine other new courts. In 2025, the event will then count 31 courts to facilitate things for the 96 ATP and WTA players that will now grace its draws. The tournament will also build a two-story player center. The tournament owner, Beemok Capital, committed $260 million of investment in order to secure the Cincinnati spot “for the next 25 years”.

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
Uniqlo sends Federer back near Roland-Garros

Roger Federer was so close to Roland Garros on Wednesday… Will he get a few steps closer next week? Hmmm, apparently not, as this was his answer to L’Equipe about it: “I would like to go back there like at Wimbledon last year, but for a good reason, otherwise people will ask me: ‘What are you doing there?’” In the meantime, he made the day of the kids at a new court set up at La Courneuve in Seine-Saint-Denis. He was there at the invitation of Uniqlo for the “Around The World With Roger Federer” campaign and the association Fête Le Mur supported by Yannick Noah.

EDITOR’S PICKS 

WATCH: Baby Reindeer? I’ve resisted so far, but I can feel my will wavering, so let me know: should I?

READ: “My game in my words” from Ons Jabeur for The Athletic. Ons talking about drop shots, what more do you need?!

LISTEN TO: Andy Roddick and Danielle Collins around a mic. Enough said. Go play this new Served episode.