Feliciano Lopez ended his professional tennis career and it was a really beautiful farewell at the 2023 Mallorca Championships.
After not playing much on the ATP Tour over the last two seasons, the 41-year-old has decided to end his professional career. With only two wins and 20 losses over the past two years, Lopez certainly didn't have high expectations when entering the 2023 Mallorca Championships draw.
But his farewell went better than expected. In the first round of the tournament, he managed to beat Max Purcell, while Rafael Nadal watched from his box, and in the second round, Lopez defeated Jordan Thompson to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Yannick Hanfmann, who stunned the first-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas.
And it was the German who officially ended Lopez's career, beating him 6-2, 6-4, marking officially the last match of Lopez's storied career. The Spaniard won 506 matches on the ATP Tour, with seven titles to his name, reaching the career-high 12th place in the ATP Rankings in 2015. Talking to ATPTour.com, Lopez remembered his career.
"I was a different player without trying to be, because of my identity as a player, my style and my serve. But I didn’t train to have that style of tennis. I grew up like most Spaniards. I trained in Barcelona, but naturally decided to be this type of player, different to the rest."
Since playing his first Grand Slam at the 2002 Roland Garros, the Spaniard didn't miss a single major until the 2022 Roland Garros, breaking a record with 79 consecutive Grand Slam appearances.
"I feel very proud of having been able to make it through 20 years as a professional without missing one, but also of having left a good impression on my fellow players and on the people I have spent time with."
Lopez was happy that he was able to leave on his own terms. Moreover, the 41-year-old was able to win two ATP main draw matches, making the farewell even more memorable.
"I didn’t want to retire with people feeling sorry for me, or playing a level that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable with. I’m very happy to be able to play how I have so far. I feel competitive and that’s what I wanted."
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