Dominic Thiem could play his final match on Tuesday when he takes on Luciano Darderi in the first-round encounter at the Vienna Open.
The retiring Austrian aims to avoid early elimination in his last ATP Tour event against the Italian, hoping to build on the home crowd's support.
Match preview
Thiem is set to call time on his career after the Vienna Open, making Tuesday's match with Darderi potentially the 2020 US Open champion's last as a pro.
Despite the emotion surrounding the former world No. 3's farewell, his form entering the Erste Bank Open does not indicate a deep run is feasible, owing to an ongoing losing streak.
The 31-year-old has not played competitively since his tournament-opening exit to Ben Shelton at the US Open in August, which has cast doubts about the Austrian's physical level ahead of Tuesday's match-up
That Shelton loss was the 2019 Vienna Open champion's fifth defeat on the trot, with his 2-8 win-loss record in 2024 highlighting this year's struggles.
Further worrying for Thiem through that sequence of losses is the fact that only one set has been secured from a possible 12, a statistic that threatens to undermine the retiring player's aim for a deep run on home turf.
Like Thiem, Darderi enters the Erste Bank Open seeking to snap a losing run that has lasted seven matches since his commendable tournament-opening triumph over Alejandro Tabilo in Cincinnati.
A long time has passed since the young player's first Tour-level success in Cordoba in February, with the 22-year-old unable to build on that ATP 250 victory in Argentina.
His 1-9 hard-court record in 2024 underscores his struggles on the surface, as a contrasting 20-11 win-loss record on the dirt showcases the Italian's preference.
With neither player entering Tuesday's match in superior form, the outcome in Vienna could go either way.
Head To Head
Tuesday's encounter will be Thiem's first match-up with Darderi on the ATP Tour, as the Italian aims to eliminate the one-time Grand Slam winner.
Although the world No. 42's 23-22 record in 2024 outdoes Thiem's 2-8, 20 of the younger player's wins coming on clay adds the necessary context to Tuesday's match-up.
We say: Darderi to win in three sets
While neither player has pulled up trees on the surface for different reasons, Thiem unable to match previous heights and Darderi's seeming preference for clay, the Italian player is backed to eliminate the Austrian and call time on the 17-time Tour-level champion's career.
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