Dominic Thiem, from Austria, watched highlights of his past performances at the U.

S.

Open after losing to Ben Shelton from the United States during the first round of the U.

S.

Open tennis championships on Monday, August 26, 2024, in New York.

Thiem served to Shelton during the match and was presented with a collage of photos showcasing his play over the years at the U.

S.

Open.

After losing a point to Shelton, Thiem reacted with visible emotion.

Diego Schwartzman, from Argentina, also played on the same day, reacting after scoring a point against Gael Monfils from France.

Schwartzman returned a shot to Monfils during their match.

Thiem never experienced the full atmosphere of the New York crowd when he won his lone Grand Slam title due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the tournament to be played without fans.

Despite his Grand Slam career ending with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 first-round loss to the No.

13 seed Ben Shelton, Thiem found the match significant as it allowed him to play before a packed house on the court where he had his greatest victory.

Thiem, who will turn 31 next week, has struggled with wrist injuries in recent years and had previously announced that this would be his final season.

He was given a wildcard entry by the U.

S.

Tennis Association for what became just his 10th match of the season.

Thiem's career highlights include winning the 2020 U.

S.

Open final against Alexander Zverev, becoming the first man to win the U.

S.

Open after losing the first two sets since 1949.

He reached No.

3 in the ATP rankings in March 2020 and ended the year inside the top 10 for the fifth straight season.

However, a wrist injury in June 2021 prevented him from regaining his top form.

Thiem's powerful forehand, which had allowed him to go 9-3 against the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal during the 2019 and 2020 seasons, was no longer as effective.

Shelton, who reached the 2023 U.

S.

Open semifinals, shared a nice exchange with Thiem at the net and encouraged the crowd to show their appreciation for Thiem.

Shelton acknowledged the challenges Thiem faced with injuries and praised his career, noting that tennis is an unforgiving game where things can change quickly.

Thiem plans to play two more events before retiring, ending his career at the ATP's stop in Vienna in October.

He intends to stay involved in tennis and already has an academy in Austria.

Although he is at peace with his decision to retire, Thiem knows he will miss the feeling of winning a great match, which he described as incomparable to anything else in life.

Later on Monday, Diego Schwartzman played his final U.

S.

Open match, losing 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 to Gael Monfils.

Schwartzman, who played his way through qualifying into the main draw for the 11th straight year at the tournament, plans to end his career in his native Argentina in February 2025.

The 5-foot-8 player reached the 2020 French Open semifinals and ended that year ranked No.

9 in the ATP rankings.

Schwartzman was emotional at the end of his match and was saluted for his success in New York.