Before retiring, Thiem beats Zverev in Vienna... in an exhibition match

The end has never been so close for Dominic Thiem, who is playing the final tournament of his career this week in Vienna. At the age of 31, the US Open 2020 winner and former world No. 3 has been unable to fully recover from a wrist injury that has hampered him since 2021.

Unable to return to his best, he finally gave up officially last May, announcing that 2024 would be his last season as a professional tennis player.

Thiem will now conclude his farewell tour in front of his home crowd. To mark the occasion, he played an exhibition set with Alexander Zverev on Sunday evening. The Austrian won the match (6-3), although the result was obviously anecdotal. He was then treated to a moving farewell ceremony (video below).

He will now face Italy's Luciano Darderi in the first round of the tournament. Perhaps his last professional match.