US OPEN STAR DOMINIC THIEM SEES FIRST-HAND WHY THE WORLD RUN MEANS SO MUCH

U.S. Open winner Dominic Thiem joined Cisco Garcia in Madrid for a unique insight into the wheelchair tennis player’s life. The pair also took to the tennis court, and talked sport, mindset, injury and what the Wings for Life World Run means to them both. Cisco broke his back in a snow board accident in Austria in 2015 and has used a wheelchair since. After difficult first months, he started to rebuild his life, finding in tennis a way of restoring his strength and self-esteem. “I am very grateful for the day together,” said Dominic. “Cisco’s story is very moving… he is an inspiration.”

Cisco showed Dominic how he gets around Madrid. “There are so many challenges and difficulties in a city which you wouldn’t notice otherwise,” Dominic said. Using a wheelchair himself, Dominic saw first-hand just how much strength is needed to move independently, and the problems posed by high kerbs, uneven surfaces and lack of lifts.

On May 4, the World Run will see hundreds of thousands of participants raise millions of euros for research into spinal cord injury. Cisco will take part in Valencia with his wife. Former world no. 3 Dominic will run in Vienna. The World Run means so much to Cisco. “I heard about the race in 2016 when I was still in hospital. It was a big relief knowing that there is this important event where 100 percent of donations go to research.” He even took part himself that year. “When you know a lot of research is going on around the world, it gives you hope that a cure will arrive. Maybe not in one year or two, but maybe in 10.”

For Dominic, the World Run is a real highlight, where participants have fun and spread positivity.

“I WANT TO PLAY A PART IN HELPING FIND A CURE,” HE SAID.

“Achieving that in the near future would be unbelievable, to help people hopefully walk again.”

According to the World Health Organization some 250,000 people a year suffer spinal cord injuries and 15 million are living with the lasting effects. “Doctors told me that a cure will come as a mix of many types of research,” said Cisco. This need for a broad approach is why Wings for Life has funded 324 projects in its 20-year history.

Experts working in top institutes around the globe and funded by Wings for Life feel they are closing in on a cure. “There is real hope,” said Wings for Life Clinical Director Professor Armin Curt. When he started in medicine in the 1980s, he was told “never touch the spinal cord” – it was too complex and fragile. Today, it is possible to administer certain cells and medication directly into it. Neuroscientist Professor Aileen Anderson of the University of California, Irvine, said “as a field, we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress in a short period of time.” Stephen Strittmatter, Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at Yale University, stated “there are lots of reasons to be hopeful that we are going to change the ways spinal cord injuries are treated and change peoples’ lives.”

Cisco describes the idea of a cure on the horizon as “a kind of a light.” “I’m happy living in a wheelchair – I managed to accept it. But to be honest, it is not that easy and I would give everything I have apart from my family to walk again.” He already knows the first thing he would do if he regained the use of his legs. “I would go to the beach to feel the sand on my feet and play football with my children. That is what I miss the most.”

The World Run is the biggest fundraiser for the Wings for Life foundation and the largest running event in the world. In 2024 alone, 265,818 runners raised 8.1 million euros. On May 4,  2025, people will unite for a 12th time to run in start-line events or via the app, aiming to set a new participant and fundraising record to help transform lives.

Remember, 100% of your entry fee goes towards spinal cord research. So, why wait?  Explore the locations, register and become part of an incredible global movement!

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Photo credit: Wings for Live World Run

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