French Open 2024: Thiem bids farewell to Roland Garros, loses in second qualifying round in Paris

Austria’s Thiem, a two-time runner-up at the clay major, lost 6-2, 7-5 to World No. 109 Virtanen in an hour and 43 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

FILE PHOTO: Two-time French Open finalist Dominic Thiem. | Photo Credit: AFP

Dominic Thiem said his final goodbye to crowd at Roland Garros in Paris after losing to Finland’s Otto Virtanen in the second qualifying round of his last ever French Open campaign on Wednesday.

Austria’s Thiem, a two-time runner-up at the clay major, lost 6-2, 7-5 to World No. 109 Virtanen in an hour and 43 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

LISTEN | Sportstar Podcast: Dominic Thiem - Once Nadal’s heir-apparent, what-ifs of a promising career cut short by injury

“There is a really special relationship with this tournament. I played finals in the juniors and slowly build up a great relationship with the tournament and all the fans. I had so many great results, memories and experiences here on these courts. It is the Grand Slam with my best results. So, I enjoyed every single year of it,” said Thiem in a ceremony held after the match where he also received a special memento.

Former World No. 3 Thiem, who won the US Open in 2020, announced earlier this month that he will retire at the end of the season. The 30-year-old has been suffering from recurring problems due to a wrist injury sustained in 2021.