Mailbag: Novak Djokovic’s Latest Loss, Dominic Thiem’s Retirement and the Trouble With Doubles

Jon Wertheim answers your questions on the world No. 1’s latest stumble, another great’s career coming to a close and the popularity of doubles in this week's tennis mailbag.

Dominic Thiem of Austria fell to Félix Auger-Aliassime in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open. / Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

Hey everyone …

• Here’s this week’s Served podcast with Andy Roddick.

 Onward …

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1) We had a few questions about Novak Djokovic, who lost another mystifying match in 2024, this one to Alejandro Tabilo, the Canadian-born Chilean. Given that he had a real scare the previous day when he was knocked on the head by a water bottle, I wouldn’t read too much into this result. That said, it’s another strange loss for a guy who won three of the four majors in 2023 and is without a title in 2024. As a former player (and current friend of his) puts it, Djokovic is “cooked,”understandably tapped mentally from the commitment that his level of excellence entails. I put a lot of stake in Roland Garros. Another loss in a best-of-five format (where he is a defending champ), and we have real issues. Then again, who would bet against Djokovic self-correcting and finding the magic, as he has done so often (see: 2018 Wimbledon, inter alia) in the past? Not I. 

2) There were various questions about Dominic Thiem, who announced last week that this will be his final year on tour. Then came Camila Giorgi and Diego Schwartzman. … So let’s start here …

Even as tennis’s actuarial tables and career lifespans improve, we are confronted with the reality that retirement is, inevitably, a part of sports. Last month it was Garbiñe Muguruza. This month—not dissimilarly—it’s Thiem. 

Let’s get the Hall of Fame question out of the way. As I see it, he is in. It’s close. You could argue either way. But he’ll get my vote. His match wins (348) are far lower than others not admitted. But a major, four major finals and 17 titles (including Indian Wells, the de facto fifth major) are solid. So is more than $30 million in prize money—a strong correlation with success suggesting, as it does, that he succeeded at majors. A max-out on “them’s good people” (or, in this case, Thiem’s good people) points. All this was achieved squarely in the midst of the Big Three, against whom Thiem was a combined 16–18. He is in. 

In many ways, Thiem was an ideal player. A strong and underrated athlete. A competitor. A thoroughly decent guy. Whoopi Goldberg notwithstanding, you will find no one with a bad word to say about him. At the height of his powers, he could beat anyone, especially on clay. Not dissimilar to Muguruza, his career had its jagged results, its boom-and-bust cycles. But when he was good, he was very, very good. 

Thiem captured his first and only major title at the 2020 U.S. Open, defeating Zverev in five sets for the win. / Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

There is, of course, a bit of tragedy to Thiem’s career arc. In the 2020 U.S. Open, he won his elusive first major. And he did so in the most dramatic way possible, rallying—before empty stands due to COVID-19 protocols; in a wacky, nervy match—to beat Alexander Zverev in the final. And then—as if starring in some tennis version of Damn Yankees—he was never the same player. He won zero subsequent titles. He battled an assortment of injuries, not least to his wrist, often a death knell for players.

He stands for the proposition that the “mental/physical” dialectic is a false one. By his own admission, all of this physical pain, uncertainty and compromise took a toll on his mental health and confidence. Instead of building on the major he won, he became a shard of the player he was. Unable to tee off on his forehand because of the injury, his game became one of defense. The guy who stared down Djokovic in the French Open semifinals was suddenly wilting and playing passively when matches tightened.

There are some what-ifs here to be sure. This, though, was a hell of a career. And that ought to trump all else.

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Mr. Wertheim,

Great to see the newly formatted Tennis Mailbag on the SI site: we didn't wait long during the pause for the bag but nonetheless it looks great.  

Onwards. While U.S. players continue to struggle, or at least post inconsistent results on the dirt in Europe, any chance to celebrate off court life for a moment?  I was struck by the photo posted of the U.S. team from a restaurant in Rome.  While this team ethos undoubtedly disintegrates on receiving the bill and shelling out the euros, it is nonetheless a nice moment from the tour's cutting room floor.  Is this a part of the sport those in the know wish everyone knew, too rare and we're lucky to see it before headlines, scorelines and the Masters of the moment take over. 

Americans in Rome for a "team dinner"

📸 @usta pic.twitter.com/cqNIbffYuL

— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) May 8, 2024

Thanks for considering 

Andrew Miller, Silver Spring, MD

• This photo went (modestly) viral last week. Because we are friends, I will share the conspiracy theory. Note that the USTA initially sent this photo around. 

First, the benign interpretation: this image represents the esprit de corps of American tennis. An ocean away from home, American players in an individual sport—male, female, married, single, younger, older and from different racial backgrounds—gather for what is, in effect, a team dinner. (That the USTA picked up the tab, was perhaps an additional inducement.) But all good. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters and Jennifer Capriati, never did this! 

The cynical explanation: At a time of division and competition behind the scenes, the USTA wanted other governing bodies—that is, the Tours—to see this. At a time when the majors are fearing their power is being undermined and their Premier Tour suggestion has lost momentum, this was a subtle message. We have relationships with the players in a way you do not. 

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Hi Jon:

So glad to see that the Mailbag is back. And I am really enjoying Served. Anyway, yesterday I saw that Dominic Thiem announced that he will be retiring, joining a bunch of others, including one of my favorites (as another 5'7" Jewish guy who hits harder than his stature), Diego Schwartzman. Two different players but both with unique careers and stories. I know how phenomenally busy you are but I hope you have some time, beyond a Mailbag entry, to write or at least discuss, on Served, Diego and Dominic's careers. 

Thanks again and all the best,
Andy Lachow

• Thanks, Andy. Yes, as long as we are toasting departing players, let’s celebrate Schwartzman. Talk about a player who wrung the most out of himself and, by extension, his tennis. When he leaves, he will do so with no regrets. Short of stature, long on heart, he won four titles, 250 matches, roughly $15 million in winnings and incalculable fans. (And took a set off Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.) The ogre would say: This career proves that without a kill shot, there is a ceiling on your success. The more generous—and I would argue more accurate—take is that with attitude and work ethic, there are few limits to how far you can go. Regardless, a big mazel tov to our Argentine friend. 

And as long as we are here, read this piece.

Schwartzman hit a career-high ranking of No. 8 in 2020. / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

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Jon, please help me understand why pro doubles isn’t more popular. Thank you. 

Sammy

• A few thoughts:

A) Since I first started covering tennis, this has been a chicken-and-egg conundrum. Doubles supporters say it’s not more popular because tournaments and networks don’t support it. Tournaments and networks say they don’t support it because it’s not more popular.

B) Tennis (sports?) is often predicated on stars. When Nadal or Djokovic or even Nick Kyrgios play doubles, it is popular. But the sport has gotten so grueling that it’s hard to convince top players—especially male players—that they ought to spend more time on the court in competitive situations.

C) The notion that most recreational players play/prefer doubles always struck me as empty and reductive. Most recreational basketball players prefer three-on-three, sometimes shirts-versus-skins. (Or shooting on a driveway hoop.) That doesn’t mean they prefer to watch that over a full-court, five-on-five NBA game.

D) What should be the appeal of doubles? The skilled play, the angles, the chaotic points. There is plenty to sell here.

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More Torben

A. Torben was said to practice his serve in the dark, since the toss shouldn’t depend on seeing but simply being in the path of one’s oncoming racquet.

B. From memory: Players arriving in Philly for the USPro Indoor at the Spectrum were taken to meet then-Mayor Rizzo. Torben and Ray Moore were turned away at City Hall because cops thought they were hippies trying to crash the welcome routine.

Skip Schwarzman, Philly

• This stems from our discussion on Served about Torben Ulrich, the late, great, extravagantly bearded Danish player—and artist, musician and poet. A fascinating character and a true original. I recounted a story (I believe this was in the excellent Handful of Summers by Gordon Forbes) about Ulrich giving an opponent a mid-match massage during a changeover because he sensed the other guy’s stress. Someone needs to make this as a short. (Paging the Tennis Channel features department!)

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Mr. Wertheim, I just wanted to commend you on your response to a writer about the aspect of civil discourse. All I can say is, “well said.” Honestly, I don’t know how people in the public eye could bear to have a social media presence. The anonymity of it all sometimes brings out the worst from some of us.

Best,  Shonn Moore

• I appreciate that. And a good point on the anonymity. We need to identify ourselves when we use a credit card, take an Uber or order on Amazon. Why can we use pseudonyms when we go to this public square and make the kind of comments we would never make if there were accountability and a name attached?

I also just don’t get the gratuitous nastiness. Disagreements are fine. Factual errors should be pointed out. Objective truth matters. But imagine firing off a tweet like this and believing it is:

A)  Acceptable.

B)  Cool.

C)  Reflecting favorably on the player the guy purports to represent.

D)  Contributing anything of value to the discourse.

Imagine the delusion of hitting post and thinking, Boy, I really showed them! 

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Jon 

Just for your audience to hear the other side. I love Andy Roddick swearing in his pod. It’s so beautifully woven into the fabric of the story. Don’t bleep it—it’s like asking Netflix to bleep out the swearing in Tom Brady’s roast—it just wouldn’t be the same without colorful language. I am also from NYC and my ears have been military-trained for elegant profanity. 

Deepak (New York) 

• Wait. Tom Brady had a roast? How come no one talked about it? (Joke). Your comment is duly noted. But I want to go back to the roast. Isn’t tennis well-suited for this? Find the right player (Djokovic?) and we need to make this happen. 

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Jon  

Coca-Cola would like to hear from you about interviewing for their new positions.

Earn up to $32/hr at a world-class company known for career advancement, competitive pay, and great benefits.

 • How did this end up in the mailbag folder? I do not know. But does anyone wonder what the response rate is to email like this?

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Shots

• A few weeks ago we talked about a truly revolutionary change:

Jon 
Had the pleasure of meeting you via Martin Guntrip, inestimable Secretary of the All England. Hope this finds you well.
The “volleyball serve” is a major plot line in The Tiddling Tennis Theorem.
With kind regards
Idzik  

• Tennis Channel and commentator Brett Haber have agreed to a contract extension that will keep one of the network’s most prominent faces on air through 2028. Haber, who first appeared on Tennis Channel at the 2004 BNP Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., has seen his role expand to become one of the network’s lead play-by-play announcers and studio hosts throughout the years. 

• The ATP Tour announced the renewal of its partnership with Asti DOCG for an additional two years, extending through 2025. The Italian wine consortium will continue as the official sparkling wine of the ATP Tour, Nitto ATP Finals and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. 

• One of the largest philanthropic investments for the children of Los Angeles took a giant step forward today with the official groundbreaking of Lulu’s Place, a planned $150 million, state-of-the-art athletic and educational complex with a mission to enrich the lives of local and underserved students and bring value to the surrounding community.

Lulu’s Place will activate 31 acres of long-vacant land with world-class sports and recreation facilities open to the public, as well as high quality academic, athletic and wellness programs offered for free or at low cost to area youth. The facilities will include tennis courts, soccer fields, playground areas, walking paths and a dog park.