Thiem: "My tennis career ended in October, but my most important match has just begun".
Dominic Thiem has just won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award. This prize is awarded to players who make humanitarian contributions.
The Austrian revealed his commitment to the planet: "One day, long after I'd started my professional career, I was browsing social networks and saw a photo of animals entangled in plastic.
I clicked to read the article and it was a life-changing moment. I read that we consume plastic and pollute the seas.
It really made an impact on me and I started to pay more attention to these things and how they affect our planet and animals.
As we get older, we become more interested in the next generation and those who will come after us. I've been lucky enough to see children from all over the world, especially me, on the tennis courts.
They have a lot of fun and are very attached to their sport. The problem is that if things continue as they are, the conditions outside will probably not allow people to follow their passions.
This has been one of the biggest revelations for me. Climate change is visible in the cities where our tournaments are held.
There were also dramatic floods this summer in Austria, and my parents' house was almost damaged.
We're no longer content to read that these terrible events are happening elsewhere. For most of us, they're happening right around the corner.
Before I retired, I was already involved in sustainable development projects, but recently I've been devoting a lot of my time to Thiem Energy, which provides clean energy at fair and stable prices in Austria.
The first priority is to involve as many people as possible and, of course, to provide them with clean energy to help the planet.
It's essential that tennis players and athletes in general use our platform to have a positive influence on fans and help the environment.
It would be great if my fans could continue to support me in this new phase of my life. My tennis career ended in October, but my most important match has just begun."
