5 men whose last tour title was a Grand Slam: Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem match Pete Sampras
Two Grand Slam champions will call time on their career within a matter of weeks of each other.
Dominic Thiem will retire at the Vienna Open this week, while all-time great Rafael Nadal will play one final time at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Both men have made their mark at the top of the game and – perhaps bizarrely – both last tasted title success at a Grand Slam.
Here, we look at Nadal, Thiem, and three other men whose last ATP Tour title happened to be a major victory.
Rafael Nadal – 2022 French Open
Nadal’s epic career will come to a close at the Davis Cup Finals next month, ending an extraordinary two-decade spell that has seen him win 92 ATP singles titles – including 22 Grand Slam titles.
And it was his 22nd major triumph at Roland Garros in 2022 that ultimately proved to be the final title of the Spaniard’s career.
Seeded fifth and targeting a record-extending 14th French Open crown, Nadal dropped just three sets on his way to the final, where he faced first-time major finalist Casper Ruud.
Nadal dominated the final, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to seal victory.
He sustained an injury at Wimbledon just a few weeks later and physically never returned to top form, with just one team event left in his career.
Dominic Thiem – 2020 US Open
When Thiem lifted the US Open title in 2020, it felt like the birth of a new era that would see him win multiple Grand Slam singles titles.
The Austrian had lost three previous major finals and looked down and out in this final against Alexander Zverev, trailing the German by two sets and a break.
However, the former world No 3 rallied to triumph 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(6) to lift his only major title, and the last of his 17 career titles.
Thiem suffered a career-altering injury in Mallorca just months later and never really recovered, languishing down the rankings for the past few seasons.
He calls time on his career at the Vienna Open this week.
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Marat Safin – 2005 Australian Open
Safin had just celebrated his 25th birthday when he claimed the Australian Open title in 2005, a second major title for the Russian – and a 15th career singles title overall.
Having lost the 2002 and 2004 finals in Melbourne, the former world No 1 saved a match point to beat Roger Federer in the last four, before defeating home favourite Lleyton Hewitt 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
Safin had previously won the US Open in 2000 and looked set for further Slam success, though reached the quarter-final of just one more Slam in his career.
That came at Wimbledon in 2008 where he went all the way to the semi-finals, though he had fallen down the rankings by that point.
He lost his final three ATP Tour finals after his Australian Open success and retired in 2009.
Pete Sampras – 2002 US Open
Perhaps the most famous example of this in the men’s game is Sampras, who capped off his epic career with victory at his home Slam in 2002.
‘Pistol Pete’ had dominated tennis for the best part of a decade and, after final losses in 2000 and 2001, beat great rival Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to lift his fifth US Open title.
It was a 14th major overall for the American and he did not play another tournament for the rest of the season – or his career.
Though he did not confirm his retirement until 2003, his run in New York proved to be not only his final Slam or final tour title – but his final tournament full stop.
Petr Korda – 1998 Australian Open
Korda’s career ended in hugely controversial fashion, failing a drugs test just months after winning his sole Slam title at the Australian Open title in 1998.
Having previously lost the French Open final in 1992, the former world No 2 thrashed Marcelo Rios 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to lift the title in Melbourne 26 years ago – the 10th title of his career.
The Czech never reached another ATP-level final and was embroiled in controversy when it emerged late in 1998 that he had failed a drugs test at Wimbledon that season.
After extended legal wranglings he was banned for a year, though had effectively retired from the sport – only making sporadic challenger appearances in Czechia in the early 2000s.
