Follow us on Google Discover The 2025 Vienna Open is officially underway, in what marks the first edition of the event following the retirement of Austrian tennis great Dominic Thiem.
In May last year, Thiem announced that he would officially bring his professional tennis career to an end, revealing that he would play his final match in Vienna later that season.
The former US Open champion was forced into an early retirement following a wrist injury he sustained in 2021, which saw him sidelined for 10 months.
Thiem became just the third Austrian in history to win the Vienna Open in 2019, when he defeated Diego Schwartzman in the final to hold the trophy aloft.
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In his final appearance at his home tournament, Thiem was looking to make one last run for the title with the crowd on his side.
His campaign ended in the first round, however, against an ATP star who has just crashed out in round one at this year’s event.
Luciano Darderi bows out in round one at the 2025 Vienna Open
Thiem’s last defeat on the ATP Tour was handed to him by Luciano Darderi, who beat him in straight sets, 7-6, 6-2, before losing to Jack Draper in the following round.
Darderi, ranked 26th in the world currently, has enjoyed his best year so far in 2025, with the 23-year-old clinching three ATP titles since January.
The Italian won a maiden crown in Cordoba in 2024, and has triumphed in Marrakech, Bastad and Umag this season.
Recently, however, Darderi has struggled for form, having exited several competitions in the early stages, the most recent of which has been the Vienna Open.
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In his opening clash at the ATP 500 event, Darderi lost to Brandon Nakashima in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.
The American levelled their head-to-head with his victory, having fallen to Darderi on the clay courts of Hamburg earlier this season.
Luciano Darderi’s record at Grand Slam events this season
Darderi had a poor start to his Grand Slam season in 2025, which started with an unfortunate first-round exit in his Australian Open debut.
In Melbourne, Darderi was forced to retire due to injury during his opening clash with Pedro Martinez.
At Roland Garros, he suffered another loss in round one, this time to Sebastian Korda, who emerged victorious in four sets.
Darderi finally picked up a 2025 major win at Wimbledon, beating Roman Safiullin before knocking out home hope Arthur Fery to record his best Grand Slam finish ever by reaching the third round, a feat he would match at the US Open.
Seeded at Flushing Meadows, Darderi dominated Rinky Hijikata in round one and knocked out American player Eliot Spizzirri, but he was dealt a heavy defeat in his next bout with eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.