"There is no player who comes injury free through their career" - Dominic Thiem criticizes rigorous ATP schedule

Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem recently hung up his racket at the 2024 Vienna Open, but that hasn't stopped the former World No.3 from speaking out against the grueling nature of the ATP season.

Thiem developed a wrist injury in 2021, and has since spent time undergoing surgery and therapy in order to remain competitive. However, the 2020 US Open champion was unable to reach the form that saw him break into the top 3, and was forced to retire in front of his home fans at the recently-concluded Vienna Open.

Following his retirement, Thiem spoke out against the long ATP schedule. The 31-year old stated the season is often physically demanding on players, and admitted it aided in his decision to retire.

"I think the way we do the sport, it’s not healthy, and at one point, one part or more parts of the body break down,” said Thiem in an interview with The Guardian. “You can see it with almost every player, there is no player who comes injury free through their career. That’s just the way of professional sport.
“And in my case, it was the wrist. It’s not really surprising, because I was obviously using the wrist so much, especially at the forehand, and it was one of my most important parts the last moments before hitting the ball to accelerate a bit more with the wrist.
“I was doing this probably millions of times, and at one point, that’s also what the doctor said. The wrist got just a little bit too weak and then it broke. After that I never had the same feeling."