Tennis star signs with football club at 32: "It has always been a part of my life"
The Austrian tennis star, a US Open champion and former world No. 3 who retired at 30 due to injuries, is beginning a new chapter as a football player. All the details of the move.
Many athletes throughout history have chosen to switch sports during their careers or after retirement. Among the prominent names who have made intriguing professional transitions are Michael Jordan, who moved from basketball to baseball in 1993 with the Birmingham Barons; Usain Bolt, who tried his luck in football with the Australian Central Coast Mariners after retiring from athletics in 2017; and Petr Cech, who transitioned from football to ice hockey in 2019 with the Guildford Phoenix and Chelmsford. Now, another elite athlete joins this list: Austrian tennis player Dominic Thiem.
Thiem, who at his peak won the 2020 US Open and reached world No. 3, was for years one of the most prominent players on the tour. During his career, he reached the Roland Garros final twice (losing to Rafael Nadal) and the Australian Open final once (losing to Novak Djokovic). He was considered one of the few capable of challenging the dominance of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, but a series of severe injuries halted his career and led to his retirement about two years ago at the age of 30.
It turns out the Austrian has not finished his sporting journey. In a surprising move, Thiem has signed with Badner AC, a team in Austria's eighth division. According to reports, the signing was facilitated by a club player who knows Thiem personally and convinced him to join. The dramatic announcement has already led to an immediate surge in popularity for the obscure team, though the club clarified to local media that they will treat the star "like any other player on the team."
For Thiem, this is not a foreign sport. In his childhood, he trained with a football team in his hometown in Austria and has often expressed his passion for the game. Recently, he was even chosen as an ambassador for the Super Cup match between European champion Paris Saint-Germain and Europa League winner Aston Villa, which will take place on August 12 in Salzburg.
"Football has always been a big part of my life, whether watching or playing," Thiem said following his selection.
Now, he is stepping onto the pitch as a full-fledged player.
