Dominic Thiem registers with Austrian football club Badener AC

Former tennis champion Dominic Thiem has registered with Badener AC in Austria. The club competes in the eighth level of the national football system.

The move continues Thiem’s involvement in amateur football after his tennis retirement. He previously played competitive matches for his hometown club.

Badener add a well-known amateur player

Badener AC registered Dominic Thiem for the new regional football season. The former tennis champion will train with the Austrian club.

The registration makes him available for official league matches. It does not place him automatically in the starting team.

Thiem already played amateur football after leaving professional tennis. He represented his hometown side SC Lichtenwörth in competitive matches.

That experience gave Badener a recent record of his football activity. Club officials described him as a capable and committed player.

They will judge his place through the same training process as teammates. Thiem joins through a personal connection with people inside the club.

His public profile brings attention to a normally quiet regional competition. The sporting decision will still depend on training and match selection.

Badener begin the season with another option available in the squad. Regional football uses a weekly routine that differs greatly from professional tennis. Thiem can follow that routine without leaving Austria for long periods.

Thiem played amateur football after leaving tennis

Thiem played for SC Lichtenwörth after leaving the tennis tour. Reports record ten competitive appearances and one goal for the hometown side.

Those matches gave him experience of regular local football. They also showed that the Badener move is not his first organised involvement.

The two clubs operate in the same broad regional structure. Travel and training remain compatible with Thiem’s life in Lower Austria.

He has followed football for many years and supported Chelsea. His own participation became more regular after the end of his tennis schedule.

A friend at Badener helped create the new connection. The move was arranged through normal club contact rather than a commercial exhibition.

The next step is simple: training, selection and league matches. His tennis record does not decide any of those football choices.

SC Lichtenwörth gave Thiem his first sustained run in competitive senior football. He learned the pace and contact of regional matches there.

One goal in ten appearances is a modest record. It still confirms that he joined match squads and contributed on the field.

His tennis career ended after persistent wrist problems

Thiem retired from professional tennis in October 2024. His final event took place in Vienna, close to the audience that followed his career.

A serious wrist injury had interrupted his best years. He returned to competition but could not recover the same level across a full season.

Before the injury, Thiem reached third place in the world rankings. He won 17 ATP singles titles during his career.

His largest title came at the 2020 US Open. He recovered from two sets down to beat Alexander Zverev in the final.

Thiem also reached two French Open finals and one Australian Open final. Those results established him among the leading players of his generation.

Football offers a different level of competition and physical demand. It does not represent a return to the professional tennis tour.

He was 30 when he played his final professional tennis season. The wrist problem had limited his serve, forehand and confidence under repeated load.

His career included major victories over the leading players of that period. The US Open title remains his only Grand Slam singles trophy.

Football remains part of Thiem’s life after tennis

Thiem often used football during training periods on the tennis tour. He continued playing after his final professional tennis tournament.

The sport offers competition without the travel of the ATP schedule. Badener gives him regular sessions close to home in Austria.

His tennis career still shapes several public and commercial commitments. He also works as an ambassador at selected sporting events.

Those appearances will continue beside his football schedule. Badener can select him when training and other commitments allow.

The club has not announced a first match or fixed position. Thiem now enters a normal pre-season with the rest of the squad.

His next football appearance will depend on the coaching staff’s selection. The registration turns an occasional activity into an organised club programme.

It also keeps Thiem involved in competitive sport after retirement. Coaches can compare his movement and fitness with the team’s existing options. His teammates have already completed similar work during the early preparation period.