Thiem, Schwartzman see U.S. Open careers come to an end

Day one of the U.S. Open every year is always a festive atmosphere. Heck, any day at the U.S. Open is generally a grand ol’ time.

And there was plenty of it on the opening Monday of the 2024 edition. At the same time, there was a twinge of somber nostalgia around the grounds of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Former champion Dominic Thiem said goodbye to the tournament, and so did Diego Schwartzman.

Thiem, who lifted the trophy in 2020 after coming back from two sets down against Alexander Zverev in the final, fell to Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 during first-round action in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The 30-year-old Austrian is retiring at home in Vienna at the end of this season, unable to fully recover from 2021 wrist surgery.

“It has been 10 years since I first played here,” said Thiem, who was also a three-time Grand Slam runner-up (twice at Roland Garros and once in Australia) and peaked at No. 3 in the rankings. “It is actually a really important moment for me, because I had my greatest success here on this court. In that weird 2020, in strange and different circumstances. I had this success unfortunately without any of you [the fans] here. It was an amazing moment but on the other hand a bit sad, so I am super happy I got the chance to play my last U.S. Open match on this court.”

“I want to say congrats to Domi and his team on an outstanding Grand Slam career,” Shelton commented. “Four finals and a title is something only kids can dream about, sitting on the couch at home–which was me not too long ago. It could not happen to better people. I always see Domi’s face smiling and your team does it the right way. I am sorry this is that way this ended, but congrats on everything. You have so much to be proud of.”

Schwartzman, who was a two-time quarterfinalist at Flushing Meadows and also reached the fourth round in 2021, lost to Gael Monfils in four sets. The 32-year-old Argentine is retiring next February during a home tournament on the Golden Swing.

Monfils will face Casper Ruud on Wednesday, while Shelton advances to meet Roberto Bautista Agut.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.