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Former World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez has announced his retirement from tennis, ending a remarkable 25-year-long career. Lopez will not immediately stop playing though, as he plans to play a select few tournaments in 2023 in the form of a farewell tour.
The 41-year-old turned pro in 1997, and since then has enthralled many with his sublime serve and silky one-handed backhand. He is also one of the last remaining practitioners of the serve-and-volley game and has often relied on this tactic in recent years.
Lopez, who also serves as the Madrid Open tournament director, announced his decision on Instagram. He described how tennis has been 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 competing on the circuit, I have decided to put an end to what one day began as an illusion and ended up becoming the most beautiful and exciting job in the world," Feliciano Lopez said.
The Spaniard stated that he wishes to hold a farewell tour in 2023, revealing that he will only feature in tournaments that hold some meaning to him.
“The dream of any tennis player is to be able to say goodbye on a tennis court and that is why I am going to play some tournaments next year to end my career. The idea is to be able to play some of the tournaments that for different reasons have meant something important during the last twenty years," he added.
Stressing how tennis has given him "everything in life," the Spaniard admitted that he will miss the sport incredibly once he retires.
“I always believed that there was life after tennis, but as the moment approaches I begin to realize how much I will miss it. Tennis has given me everything in life, much more than that five-year-old boy could have imagined when his father, one Christmas, put a wooden racket in his hand," Feliciano Lopez stated.
Lopez also expressed his gratitude to all those who have 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 during all these years. There are many of you and you have all played an important role at some specific moment. You are the main reason why I have been able to extend my career so long, life is much more bearable when you surround yourself with special people," he said.
A look at some of the biggest highlights of Feliciano Lopez's career
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 title in doubles, which to date is his only Grand Slam title across all disciplines.
The Spaniard is a three-time quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and a one-time quarterfinalist at the US Open. However, he never progressed beyond the fourth round at either of the other two Majors.
Some feel that the 41-year-old underperformed at the Masters 1000 event, failing to make the final even once in a whopping 139 attempts. His best result in a Masters event was finishing as a semifinalist three times at the Shanghai Masters and once at the Canadian Masters.
Feliciano Lopez has won seven singles titles on tour thus far, winning his maiden title at the 2004 Vienna Open. He won the South Africa Tennis Open in 2010, 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 highest number of aces on tour amongst the 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.
