Dominic Thiem offers a frank assessment of his future, sees 2024 season as 'the last chance'

Dominic Thiem is pondering what's next for his playing career. The 30-year-old former world No. 3 offered a frank assessment of his future to Austrian media this week, saying that he views 2024 as "the last chance" to return to the top of the ATP Tour.

“I’ve been back for two years since the injury, and I finished 100 or so in 2022 and 98 last year," he elaborated, as per several local media reports, including one from Austrian public broadcaster ORF. "If I finish the year at 100 again, you have to consider whether the whole thing is still worthwhile.”

The 2020 US Open champion says his short-term goal is to return to the Top 50 in the ATP rankings. In an effort to pick up ranking points, Thiem said he's choosing to skip the Sunshine Double—the back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami in March—and will instead play ATP Challenger Tour events in Szekesfehervar, Hungary; Zadar, Croatia and Napoli, Italy.

Thiem is 0-2 in ATP main draws in 2024. After successfully qualifying for the Brisbane International, he lost in the first round to Rafael Nadal, and then lost a nearly five-hour epic first-round match to Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Australian Open.

“For two years now I've been in ranking spheres that I don't want to be in. Of course, that puts a strain on me,” Thiem continued. “There are a lot of things that come along that I haven’t known for years, like worrying about getting into the main competitions of tournaments for ages.”

The former world No. 3 also announced a split from his coach, Benjamin Ebrahimzadeh, who succeeded Nicolas Massu in the role last year. He added that he's nearly reached an agreement with a new coach, whom he declined to name, but ruled out a reunion with former longtime coach Günter Bresnik, and noted that his new coach is not Austrian.

Currently Thiem is training with his father, Wolfgang, at home in Traiskirchen and Oberpullendorf in preparation for Austria's Davis Cup World Group I Play-off tie in Ireland from Feb. 3-4. Thiem is playing Davis Cup for just the second time since 2019 in an effort to fulfill the qualification requirements for this summer's Paris Olympics.

But despite the tone of finality in his words, Thiem nonetheless remains optimistic: “If I can do it, it can be done quickly,” he said.

“I’ve been chasing the feeling for a long time, really like that again in a match. To play tennis the way I can. And the way I demand of myself.”