Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem headlined to retire at the end of the season in 2024 | ATP Tour
Best of 2024
Nadal, Thiem talk about the topic of retirement at the end of the season in 2024
Read Part 2 of our ‘Best of’ 2024 Retirement feature
December 08, 2024
Matt McNulty/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal retired from pro tennis in November.
By ATP staff
To mark the end of another sensational season, ATPtour.com presents our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will showcase the most impressive opponents, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Icons Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem lead Part 2 of our ‘Best of’ retirement story while Andy Murray is featured in Part 1.
Rafael Nadal
He was not only a national hero, or a tennis icon, but a sports legend. Nadal competed in his last professional event in November in the Davis Cup Final 8. The 38-year-old, surrounded by teammates, friends and family, wiped away tears as he addressed the crowd during the on-court ceremony.
One of the best tournaments ever contested on the ATP Tour, Nadal’s last match was a singles rubber defeat against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp. To the great singing of Spanish songs like ‘Vamos Rafa!’, Nadal applied the final touch to his career, fighting hard until the end.
“It was an emotional day,” Nadal said after his final match. “I knew it would be my last match as a professional tennis player. The times leading up to it were emotional, kind of hard to manage, usually. So many emotions. I tried to do it as well as possible.”
Nadal’s play and grace in both victory and defeat have endeared him to fans around the world. That humility was also evident when Nadal said in his farewell speech, “I have to thank… so many people that it’s hard to know where to start.”
There are no words to thank you for what you have done in this game.
Thank you, Rafa ❤️@RafaelNadal | #RafaSiempre
– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2024
Nadal’s twelve-year career was defined by competitive excellence and relentless determination. He has set benchmarks that may not be surpassed, including an extraordinary record of 14 Roland Garros titles. He spent 209 weeks as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, won 1,080 matches and lifted 92 major titles at the tour level.
Many of Nadal’s records look like they may be untouched forever. He won the ATP Tour title in 19 straight seasons (2004-22) and achieved a record 23 wins against World No. 1s. Ranked in the Top 10 for a record 912 consecutive weeks (2005-23). In ATP Masters 1000 events, Nadal has a record 410 victories and the most second titles (36).
The Spaniard became the first male player in history to complete the Career Grand Slam twice. He also won two Olympic gold medals (2008 Beijing singles, 2016 Rio doubles w/M. Lopez) and helped Spain win the Davis Cup four times.
“I think that as a tennis player, I just want to be remembered for the results I got. As a person, I hope to be remembered as a good example of respect, good behavior, and being a good person,” said Nadal earlier this year. Read Nadal Longform Tribute.
Dominic Thiem
There was an uproar at Thiem’s home tournament, the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, when the Austrian tennis legend bid farewell to the tournament.
“When I think back on my career, the main feeling is a great gratitude for everything I was able to experience,” said Thiem. “I’ve been very lucky to stay healthy [most of] time to be able to fulfill basically all my dreams. And yes, I never expected such a job when I was young. All I wanted was to be a professional tennis player, whatever comes with it.”
The 31-year-old won the 2020 US Open and reached the finals of three other Slams. Thiem won a total of 17 tour-level titles, achieved a career PIF ATP Ranking of No. 3 and was ranked in the Top 10 for the best part of six years.
Thiem achieved such success in a very difficult period of tennis, when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic did not give up their spots at the top of the sport. Only players with better Lexus ATP Head2Head records than Thiem against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic…
Thiem’s only win came against Federer at Indian Wells in 2019. It was a thrilling tournament match, with Thiem reflecting, ‘Roger was playing me’, in the early stages of the final. But the Austrian found his best level and said at the time that it was his biggest title. It was Thiem’s only ATP Masters 1000 victory.
Thiem’s 2020 US Open victory was capped by a two-set comeback from Alexander Zverev. The Austrian player came back and escaped Germany 7-6 in the fifth set for both players. It was unusually scary inside Arthur Ashe Stadium as the final was held during the Covid-19 pandemic and the entire tournament was played without fans on site. There was no noisy crowd to help turn emotions into energy. Instead, it was a white-knuckle ride to the finish that saw Thiem achieve some of the biggest moments of his career. Read Thiem Longform Tribute.
Wesley Koolhof
Koolhof knows what it’s like to stand atop the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings and be crowned at some of the sport’s biggest events. The Dutchman has won six ATP Masters 1000 titles – three each with Nikola Mektic and Neal Skupski, respectively – and the 2023 Wimbledon trophy (w/ Skupski).
Koolhof qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals four times and won the season finale alongside Mektic in 2020. At this year’s event in Turin, Koolhof was celebrated for his outstanding work. He represented his country for the last time in the Davis Cup before officially retiring.
“I don’t know what will happen next, but after taking a break I would like to stay in tennis,” said Koolhof. “In this world, you meet a lot of people, and volleyball has always been a part of my life… I’ll just wait and see what’s around the corner, and you’ll see me somewhere.” Read Koolhof’s essay, ‘My Point’.
Pablo Cuevas
The highest ranked Uruguayan in history (No. 19 in 2016), Cuevas’ video of hot shots will stand up to any player. He was a brilliant shooter who hit the ball cleanly, as evidenced by his six titles at the tour level. En route to his 2016 Rio de Janeiro title, Cuevas upset Rafael Nadal in a three-setter semi-final, the Uruguayan’s second straight win against Top 5 players.
Cuevas, who announced his retirement in September, also won nine doubles titles, including Roland Garros in 2008 with Luis Horna. He has lifted two ATP Masters 1000 trophies: 2015 Rome with David Marrero and 2017 Monte-Carlo with Rohan Bopanna.
“When I was a boy, I didn’t know what it meant to be a tennis player, and I didn’t have the level I wanted to reach, I just wanted it to be my job,” said Cuevas. “Then it was more, being Top 100, Top 50, winning tournaments, but it was always more than numbers… That’s what I enjoyed doing and I was able to have a lot of fun along the way.” Read Cuevas’ Retirement Feature.
Philip Krajinovic
Krajinovic fought back tears while playing her final US Open qualifying match. The Serbian reached a career-high World No. 26, competed in five ATP Tour finals and defeated four top-10 opponents. The most notable career highlight for Krajinovic is his run to the final of the 2017 Rolex Paris Masters, his only tournament appearance at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
“I am very proud. I am very proud of my work,” said Krajinovic. “The thing I’m sad about is that I didn’t win the ATP Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem headline late-season retirements in 2024 | ATP Tour. I had five finals, five tough finals. That’s all I wanted to have, but it didn’t happen for some reason. But everything else I would sign [for] because I think I played the way I wanted to. I had very good results and my highest was 26, which I really appreciate. I left the court happy, because I think I did well.” Read the Krajinovic Retirement Feature.
Donald Young
In the final event of her career, Young partnered WTA player Taylor Townsend in a dream run to the US Open doubles final. The former No. 38 in the PIF ATP Rankings bid farewell to a career that saw him reach two tour-level finals. Born in Chicago, Young made a splash as the No. 1 junior. 1, a rank he achieved at just 15 years old.
The remaining tour-level winners are compared to the likes of Andy Murray, Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych. He twice reached the fourth round of a domestic Slam and faced every member of the ‘Big Three’ in major tournaments. The youngster will never forget his time on the Tour.
“It just changed the trajectory of my life, my family’s life,” said Young. “And for that, I owe and thank tennis.” Read the Small Retirement Feature.
