Feliciano Lopez announces retirement after 25 years on tour
Former world number 12 Feliciano Lopez has announced his retirement from tennis, ending a remarkable 25-year career. Lopez won’t stop playing immediately, as he plans to play a few select tournaments in 2023 as a farewell tour.
The 41-year-old turned professional in 1997 and since then has captivated many with his sublime serve and silky one-handed backhand. He is also one of the newest practitioners of the serve and volley game and has relied on this tactic often in recent years.
Lopez, who is also the tournament director of the Madrid Open, announced his decision on Instagram. He described how tennis was a “beautiful and exciting job”.
“Dear friends, the time has come to share with you something that most athletes think will never come. After more than twenty years of competing on the circuit, I have decided to put an end to what has a day that started as an illusion and ended up becoming the most beautiful and exciting work in the world,” Feliciano Lopez said.
The Spaniard has said he wants to hold a farewell tour in 2023, revealing he will only take part in tournaments that have meaning for him.
“Every tennis player’s dream is to be able to say goodbye on a tennis court and that’s why I’m going to play some tournaments next year to finish my career. The idea is to be able to play some of the tournaments that, for different reasons, have meant something significant over the last twenty years,” he added.
Highlighting how tennis has given him “everything in life”, the Spaniard admitted he will miss the sport incredibly once he retires.
“I always believed there was life after tennis, but as the moment draws closer, I’m starting to realize how much I’m going to miss it. Tennis has given me everything in life, so much more. that this five-year-old boy could have imagined when his father, one Christmas, put a wooden racket in his hand,” Feliciano Lopez said.
Lopez also expressed his gratitude to everyone who has supported him through thick and thin over the years.
“I also want to thank all the people who have helped me achieve my goals and be a better person all these years. There are many of you and you all played an important role at a certain time. You are the main reason why I was able to prolong my career for so long, life is so much more bearable when you surround yourself with special people,” he said. A look at some of the greatest moments of Feliciano Lopez’s career Feliciano Lopez after winning the 2017 Aegon Championships
Feliciano Lopez is a five-time Davis Cup champion, having helped Spain win the prestigious event in 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019. He also won the 2016 French Open doubles title, which is at this day his only Grand Slam title. in all disciplines.
The Spaniard is a three-time quarter-finalist at Wimbledon and once a quarter-finalist at the US Open. However, he never progressed beyond the fourth round in either of the other two Majors.
Some believe the 41-year-old underperformed in the Masters 1000, failing to make it to the final just once in 139 attempts. His best result in a Masters event was finishing in the semi-finals three times at the Shanghai Masters and once at the Canadian Masters.
Feliciano Lopez has won seven singles titles on tour so far, winning his first title at the 2004 Vienna Open. He won the South African Tennis Open in 2010, the Eastbourne International in 2013 and 2014, the Swiss Open in 2016 and the Queen’s Club Championships in 2017 and 2019.
The Spaniard is fifth on the list of players to have served the most aces on tour among men. With 10,188 aces to his name so far, Lopez ranks behind John Isner, Ivo Karlovic, Roger Federer and Goran Ivanisevic on the all-time list.
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