Roger Federer paid tribute to retired star Dominic Thiem (Image: Getty)
retirement from tennis was an emotional affair in Malaga after his exit from the Davis Cup on Tuesday. The 38-year-old bowed out in tears after losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp and his country lost 2-1 to the Netherlands overall.
Nadal follows the likes of in hanging up his racket after an illustrious career, leaving as the only remaining member of the Big Three.
Federer’s class shone through when he bid farewell to another talented player, Dominic Thiem, who played his final match at the Vienna Open.
Federer, who retired in September 2022 at the age of 41, and claimed he was envious of his incredible backhand.
“No matter the surface, you always found a way to beat me with your thunderous backhands,” the Swiss legend wrote in a post to his . “But more importantly, you did it with grace and sportsmanship.”
Thiem and Nadal weren’t the only players to step away from tennis in 2024, with 23 players on the ATP Tour leaving the court the final time in 2024.
Dominic Thiem retired from tennis at the Vienna Open (Image: Getty)
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our
Attila Balazs
Balazs joined the professional tour in 2006 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 76 in singles in March 2020. Balazs announced his retirement in February 2024.
Dustin Brown
The Jamaican joined the professional tour in 2002 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 64 in singles in October 2016 and No. 43 in doubles in May 2012. He won two doubles titles and his entertaining style of play often kept fans entertained at and beyond.
Pablo Cuevas
Hailing from Uruguay, Cuevas spent two decades on the ATP Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No. 19 in singles in August 2016. Cuevas announced his retirement in September 2024, having made his final appearance at the 2024 US Open.
Dustin Brown’s entertaining style endeared him to tennis fans (Image: Getty)
Federico Delbonis
The Argentinian won two singles and two doubles titles before announcing his retirement in January 2024. He made his final professional appearance in his home country at the Argentina Open, partnering Facundo Bagnis in the doubles.
Prajnesh Gunneswaran
The Indian joined the professional tour in 2010 and reached a career-high ranking of No. 75 in singles in April 2019. However, the 35-year-old was forced to cut short his time in tennis due to a succession of wrist injuries.
Ryan Harrison
The American reached a career-high ranking of No. 40 in singles in July 2017. His best work came in the doubles, where he peaked at No. 16 in the world, and celebrated winning the Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in 2017 with Michael Venus. Harrison announced his retirement in January.
Tatsuma Ito
The Japanese man was never able to breach the top 50, climbing to 60th in the world in 2012, although he did once secure a stunning win against Stan Wawrinka, the reigning Australian Open champion at the time.
Ryan Harrison reached No 16 in the world (Image: Getty)
Roman Jebavy
Known more for his exploits in the doubles game, the Czech won four titles before stepping away from the game in August after partnering with Jiri Vesely at the Svijany Open.
Steve Johnson
A four-time singles title winner, Johnson once rose to 21st in the singles rankings and also claimed a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics in the doubles event with Jack Sock. He ended his 12-year career on the tour with a final appearance at Indian Wells.
Ivo Karlovic
A giant in the men’s game, Karlovic finally called time on his career in Februrary at the age of 45 after going two years without playing a match. He breached the top 20 when he ranked 14th back in August 2008 and won 10 titles in total (eight singles, two doubles).
Wesley Koolhof
A former world No 1 in the doubles as recently as 2022, Koolhof won a staggering 19 titles including the ATP Finals in 2022 with Nikola Metkic. The Dutchman capped his impressive career with a sole Grand Slam triumph at in 2023 with Neal Skupski before announcing he would wind down his career at the end of this year. He and van de Zandschulp helped the Netherlands beat Spain in the doubles at the Davis Cup against Marcel Granollers and .
Andy Murray bowed out of tennis at the Paris Olympics (Image: Getty)
Filip Krajinovic
Although the Serbian never won an ATP title, he reached a career-high 26th in the world back in 2018. His final appearance came at the US Open this year, where he was knocked out of the first qualifying round.
Ben McLachlan
Born in New Zealand but playing under the Japanese flag, McLachlan won seven doubles titles throughout his time in tennis before opting to hang up his racket at the age of 32 in April.
John Millman
Despite joining the tour in 2006, it wasn’t until 2018 that Millman made his mark in men’s tennis when he reached the quarter-finals of the US Open. He was a regular presence representing Australia, having played for his country in the Davis Cup on several occasions and at the Olympic Games twice. He won his only singles title at the Astana Open in 2020.
One of the greatest players of his generation and a groundbreaking athlete in British history, Murray won three Grand Slam titles during the Big Three era, including two at , and spent 41 weeks as the world No 1. The Scot collected 46 singles titles overall and three in the doubles, as well tasting success at the ATP Finals in 2016. A two-time Olympic gold medallist gold, Murray ended his career fittingly at 37 with an appearance at the Paris Olympics in August.
Rafael Nadal retired with 22 Grand Slam titles (Image: Getty)
Hailed as the ‘King of Clay’ for the simple reason that his achievements on the clay surface may never be repeated. He won 14 French Open titles and finished with a record of 112 victories and only three defeats. An exceptional player and one of the greatest ever to play the game, Nadal won an incredible 22 Grand Slam titles overall and has 92 singles titles to his name. Knee injuries curtailed the latter years of his career and the 38-year-old bowed out at the Davis Cup with Spain after a defeat to Van de Zandschulp on Tuesday.
Philipp Oswald
With a career-high ranking of No 31 in the doubles, Oswald can take pride in his 11 titles after announcing his retirement in July, with a final appearance in his native Austria coming at the Generali Open in Kitzbuhel.
Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
One of the longest-serving players in tennis stepped away from the game in February at the age of 44 after featuring in more than 750 doubles matches and 18 titles on the ATP Tour. He remains the only Pakistani player to reach a Grand Slam final after reaching the men’s and mixed doubles finals at the US Open in 2010.
Lukas Rosol
A player who enjoyed a rare mixture of success in both singles and doubles, the Czech player reached No 26 in the singles rankings. Rosol left tennis with five titles in total after hanging up his racket in April.
Dominic Thiem won the US Open in 2020 (Image: Getty)
Artem Sitak
The New Zealand native joined the tour in 2001 and made his way into the top 50 in doubles, reaching a career-high No 32 in September 2018. With five doubles titles, Sitak decided to quit in January and hosted his farewell at the ASB Classic event.
Joao Sousa
While Sousa never made it to the latter stages of a Grand Slam, he leaves a lasting legacy in tennis as the highest-earning Portuguese player and the most wins for his country at Grand Slam singles tournaments. Along with four singles titles, Sousa made it to 28th in the world at his peak in 2016 but retired at the Estoril Open after missing both and the US Open.
Dominic Thiem
Tennis fans could be forgiven for thinking what could have been for the man with a backhand so fierce it made Federer jealous. The Austrian rose to No 3 in the rankings in March 2020 and became the first man from Austria to win a Grand Slam when he overcame to claim the US Open. He won 17 singles titles overall before a wrist injury forced him to call time on his career at 31.
Donald Young
The American reached the US Open fourth round on two occasions in the singles before switching to doubles in the final years of his duration in tennis. He played his last match with Taylor Townsend in the mixed doubles at Flushing Meadows before losing in the final to Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.