Austria's Grand Slam winner Thiem ends career cheered on by home crowd

Vienna: Austria s Dominic Thiem, a former US Open champion, was swept aside 6 7 (6 8), 2 6 by Luciano Darderi at the Vienna Open on Tuesday, ending hi...

Vienna: Austria's Dominic Thiem, a former US Open champion, was swept aside 6-7 (6-8), 2-6 by Luciano Darderi at the Vienna Open on Tuesday, ending his career on home ground after battling a long-term wrist injury.

Earlier this year, Thiem had announced his retirement from tennis, giving up on his fruitless struggle to fully recover from the injury he sustained in 2021.

On Tuesday evening, his Italian rival, 22-year-old Darderi, did not seem to dominate at first, winning the first set in a tie-break.

But the world number 42 gained steam as the match progressed, beating an ever more loudly grunting Thiem 6-2 in the second set.

"I would really like to thank you for all the sensational years, because of course I am only a part of this all, the whole career," Thiem told the cheering crowd after the match.