Family and fans present

Thiem emotional: “A special place in my heart”

There was an emotional farewell party for Dominic Thiem surrounded by his loved ones.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof/Christof Birbaumer)

Dominic Thiem experienced a bittersweet farewell to one of his favorite tournaments on Tuesday evening. Although the 30-year-old Austrian was eliminated in the first round of the Generali Open in Kitzbühel against Argentinian Thiago Agustin Tirante, he was able to enjoy his farewell. "Thank you all for this wonderful evening," said an emotional Thiem after the match. 

"I can only thank you all for this wonderful farewell and for all the years that you have accompanied me here," said Thiem after his defeat to Tirante, addressing the numerous fans in Kitzbühel who had strongly supported their favorite even in a difficult match. 

In purely sporting terms, there wasn't much for the 30-year-old to gain on Tuesday. "It wasn't my best day today, but it was an emotional match," explained Thiem. His family was also there, who experienced an emotional farewell together with the Lower Austrian. 

Family and girlfriend by his side
After the match, the tournament organizers had prepared a tribute to Thiem's "Kitzbühel life's work". In front of his parents, brother Moritz and girlfriend Lili Paul-Roncalli, his greatest moments were first shown in video sequences, after which he received a valuable, newly designed Kitzbühel chamois set with diamonds and Swarovski stones.

"Kitzbühel will always hold a special place in my heart," Thiem promised in conclusion, leaving the course where he had given his all for twelve years. Although this year's circumstances were different, as he revealed afterwards on Servus TV: "The match naturally took a back seat today. I wanted to enjoy it again. That's why the defeat was no longer a catastrophe. Not like it usually is in Kitzbühel," said Thiem calmly.

Family takes center stage
He is definitely still looking forward to celebrating a personal finale with his family. "After my career, my family will take center stage anyway and I'm looking forward to that," said Thiem, feeling at peace with himself. All the emotional moments in Kitzbühel came flooding back into his head on his opponent's match point. It was a conciliatory farewell, the 30-year-old said. 

With regard to his final farewell from the tennis stage, Thiem explained: "I want to give it my all once again in Vienna. It was my big dream when I was very young that I would one day end my career in Vienna." 

Thiem was able to enjoy the evening once again.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof/Cristof Birbaumer)

The adventure in the Gamsstadt is not quite over yet. On Wednesday, Thiem will compete together with Daniel Altmaier in the doubles against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies. The match had to be canceled on Monday due to the weather. The match is scheduled to continue on Wednesday at around 11 am. Thiem and Altmaier won the first set.