Le moment était redouté. Comme attendu, Dominic Thiem quitte l'US Open dès le premier tour, battu par un Ben Shelton apprêté (6-4, 6-2, 6-2). L'Autrichien a bien tenu le choc dans le premier set, puis s'est logiquement effondré. Il a donc disputé le tout dernier match de sa carrière en Grand Chelem ce lundi, à New York, sans pouvoir réellement proposer le combat qu'il aurait souhaité à l'Américain. Après la rencontre, il a reçu un hommage sur le court, avec un cadre retraçant son parcours à Flushing Meadows. Vainqueur de l'US Open en 2020, Thiem tire sa révérence en Grand Chelem après avoir disputé quatre finales : une à l'Open d'Australie, deux à Roland-Garros et une à l'US Open.
Vidéo : @US Open
Vidéo : @US Open
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SportTranscription
00:00How did you prepare for the game?
00:30I was able to focus on the match, but of course obviously I'm not having that level anymore, what is required to really go head-to-head with players like Ben.
00:48This I also knew before, so of course I tried to enjoy as much as possible, but still I was focusing on the match pretty good.
00:59There are some players who, when they're approaching the end of their careers, they're approaching it with fear and not necessarily happy about it.
01:11That was Murray this year, for example. With you it seems like you've been able to accept it and almost embrace and enjoy these final months.
01:20I'm curious how you were able to come to that position, if that makes sense.
01:26Yeah, I'm happy. I was struggling enough the last years, especially since I was not able to come back to my level.
01:41But once I took the decision this year in March, from this moment on, I was happy about it.
01:49Obviously I was also able to kind of prepare already this new chapter, what is coming soon.
01:57Honestly, I loved playing on tour and I was very passionate about it, but I also always really enjoyed to be home and to have as much as possible a normal life at home.
02:19That's why I really look forward to this one now, that the normal life is now coming. That's why I think it's not that difficult for me and that's why I'm really also happy with my decision.
02:38First of all, I just wanted to check, is this your last match or are there other events this season you plan to play?
02:49And then I also just wanted to ask, what do you think you'll miss the most about being on tour?
02:56There is going to be actually two more events, the one UTS in Frankfurt and then Vienna, of course.
03:03So some matches at the UTS and then the last ATP tournament in Vienna.
03:12I think the thing I will miss the most is this feeling after winning a great match. It's not really comparable to anything else.
03:31You don't really get this feeling, in my case, in life outside of tennis, because it's like a real high. It's like being on drugs a little bit, I guess.
03:42I know that probably this feeling is not coming back again, so this is for sure also the one I'm going to miss the most.
03:51When you think about it, was it more physical injuries that prevented you getting back to your level or psychologically?
04:04It's pretty difficult, I know, as well, to get back. What was it more for you or was it a combination of both?
04:13It always comes together, but I have the feeling that once I got back in a very good mental state, the injury happened.
04:26Then the feeling, especially on the forehand, never came back like it was before. Of course, due to that I was struggling also mentally a lot, because it was very difficult to accept.
04:48Those two things, mentally and physically, always come together. I think the basic reason why I'm here now, retiring pretty young, is still the bad luck with the wrist injury.
05:06Again, I'm really happy with the career I had before. I never expected that it's going to be that successful, so I don't have really any regrets and I'm good with that.
05:20You've had the opportunity to play all these great players of our era. Who would you say the toughest is and why? If you could change one thing in our sport, what would that be?
05:44I had really legendary matches against the best players in our era, maybe the best players in history. Each of them is really unique. I have the feeling it depends on the day, it depends on the surface, who is actually the toughest to play.
06:06I had matches against them where I was winning, but I also had matches against each of them where I didn't have any chance and where they made me look like almost a beginner. Each of them is unique.
06:28Wow, which thing I would change? Nothing coming to my mind right now.
06:42You mentioned normal life coming up for you. What are you most looking forward to about that normal life?
06:50Right now it's not to travel that much anymore. I think it's very intense and very demanding. In tennis especially, there's so much travelling around.
07:07The older I got, the tougher it got for me. After being home for just a few days, to again step on the airport, step in a plane and travel to the next destination. To really get used to life basically in one place or at home, that's what I'm looking forward to most.
07:33Do you have any thoughts you can share with us about how you might use the next chapter of your life or career plans?
07:42Yeah, I really want to go more into sustainability. I already have one energy community with solar energy. That's one very important topic for me. That is one side. On the other side, I want to stay in tennis of course.
08:02We have our academy already in Austria and it would be amazing if players from there are coming through one day and also competing in tournaments like US Open or in the biggest tournaments in the world. This would be really, really nice and would be also the goal of course.
08:21Dominic Crisato from US Open. Congrats on a great career. With your career here in New York specifically, I wonder if you could tell me why was it a special place for you? It's a difficult place for a lot of people to play and yet you were pretty solid here from your debut. Then you had some great matches like the five-setter with Delpo, with Rafa and of course the title. What do those moments mean to you and what does it mean to you to have those memories in New York?
08:48Yeah, I think everything came from the start or from the first year I played here. I came through for the first time in the second week of a slam and from that moment on I had always a lot of confidence when I came here because the two junior appearances were pretty bad. I lost twice in the first round and I was struggling also with conditions.
09:14Then when I came first here as a pro, I straight away played the fourth round and that gave me a boost for all the upcoming years. I think it's like that. If you have really good memories or if you have a good start at something, this really gives you positive vibes for the future.
09:39It was like that because the only really bad year I had here was 2019 when I lost in the first round and when I was not 100% healthy. But other than that, I almost only had great highlight years.
09:57Like you said, 2017 against Delpo, which was back then a really, really tough loss to handle. But now it's a legendary match, which I really like to remember actually. And then of course the epic match with Rafa was great. But still, 2020 is above everything and is also above everything else in my tennis career.
10:23Two more questions in English.
10:27Speaking of Rafa, he's also in the very back of his career. Have you talked with him at all about the future? Just kind of what it's like after tennis? The two are in similar situations?
10:41No, not yet. The last time I saw him was in January in Brisbane. I think the situation back then was that I wanted to come back fully, he wanted to come back fully. So it was a completely different situation than it is now.
11:03And since then I haven't seen him. I was in Mallorca in his academy in March for a practice week, but he was I think in Wales or something. So I haven't seen him for quite a while.
11:17Last question in English, Willy.
11:19What do you make of having beaten Novak five times and what are your thoughts about the significance of that in your career?
11:32Well, now it's amazing memories. But back then it was really important to me to know back then that when I step on court against Novak or against the other best players that I'm able to win.
11:49And not only a one hit wonder, but quite a lot of times. And of course, when you face them, it's always in a quite deep stage of the tournament. So each victories or all victories against them were in really important stages of a tournament.
12:10So they are all special. I mean, it always meant that I go into semis or finals of a Grand Slam or ATP finals or Masters 1000 tournaments. So yeah, every victory against him was very nice and special.