Dominic Thiem, a former Grand Slam champion can still be found on tennis courts, but only as a spectator. Dominic Thiem ended his professional career last October as the former Grand Slam champion could no longer cope with injuries, leading to his early retirement. The Austrian played his final match last October at the Vienna Open, losing to Darderi 7-6, 6-2. He bid farewell to tennis in front of his home crowd in Austria. A wrist injury in 2021 effectively ended his career, making the Vienna tournament a symbolic final appearance. He said, "Hello everyone, I have a very important, very sad, but also very beautiful message. The 2023/24 season will be my last. I will end my career at the end of this season. There are several reasons for this. First of all, my wrist isn't good, not the way it should be, not how I'd like it to be. "The second reason is an inner feeling. I've thought about it a lot, about my whole journey in tennis, which has been incredible. I've had successes and won tournaments I never dreamed of. "The journey has been amazing. There were ups and downs, and it's an experience I'm grateful for. But I've come to the conclusion that the decision to end my career at the end of the season is the right one. I'm happy with the decision I've made and excited for what's to come." - Dominic Thiem's farewell message on Instagram Between 2018 and 2021, the Austrian was one of Djokovic's toughest rivals and deservedly ranked among the top five in the world at his peak before the injury in Mallorca. What initially seemed like wrist discomfort during a match against Adrian Mannarino turned out to be a career-altering injury. Thiem suffered a severe wrist injury in 2021, sidelining him for ten months and preventing him from returning to his previous form. He will be remembered for his 2020 US Open victory, coming back from two sets down against Alexander Zverev to reach a career-high world ranking of No. 3. This was aided by Novak Djokovic's default after accidentally hitting a linesperson with a ball during his match against Pablo Carreño Busta. After the wrist injury, Thiem was never the same player who once posed a significant threat on clay to the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He remains the only player to have defeated Nadal, Djokovic, and Roger Federer five or more times each. Although he finished his career with a losing head-to-head record against Djokovic (5-7), Thiem notably defeated the Serb in the 2017 French Open quarterfinals, the 2018 Monte Carlo Masters round of 16, the 2019 French Open semifinals, and twice at the ATP Finals in 2019 and 2020. He won 17 ATP titles and was the first player born in 1990 or later to win a Grand Slam, highlighting the dominance of the "Big Three." He lost twice in the French Open final to Rafael Nadal (2018 and 2019), in the Australian Open final to Djokovic, and in the ATP Finals to Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev. Little is known about Thiem's life after retirement, aside from what he shares on social media. He's fulfilling sponsorship obligations with Red Bull, playing small-sided soccer, and is expected to appear at the Hamburg tournament. The former world No. 3 was also spotted in the stands at Wimbledon with friends. It's a shame Thiem couldn't overcome his injury and pain. Known for his incredible work ethic (nicknamed "The Machine" for his ability to train for hours and compete nearly every week without rest), he undoubtedly had much more to offer the sport.