After 26 years of professionalism, Feliciano Lopez has definitively closed his career. The final stage of this very long journey could only be his home, Mallorca, where he decided to play the very last tournament as a player.The Spaniard, one of the most prominent exponents of the serve and volley of the past, also passed the first two rounds before giving way to the German Hanfmann in the quarterfinals.The result, however, was the last of his thoughts: Feliciano was looking for nothing more than the affection of his loved ones and his audience.
There were many messages of congratulations and greetings from the most illustrious exponents of the circuit, including Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s uncle who is a great friend of Lopez, who wanted to dedicate a heartfelt thought to him.Toni explained: “An exemplary player, regular, a lover of our sport and, above all, a romantic who sometimes even put elegance ahead of results.
Best wishes to him and his precious family.”
Lopez’s emotional speech at the end of the game
The home tournament and his favorite surface: Feliciano Lopez could not wish for a better scenario for his retirement.The Spaniard, now at the ripe old age of 41, extended his farewell as much as possible on the grass of Mallorca, but nothing was able to stop the run of Yannick Hanfmann, who emerged victorious from the quarter-final match with a score of 6- 2 6-4.Lopez’s heart, however, was not broken by the result, because immediately after the match he was able to let himself go to emotions for the closing speech of his career.”I thought this moment would never come.
I want to thank the organizers for giving me the possibility to retire in my country and on a special area for me, in front of my fans. I didn’t expect to get to this point, it’s been a good week.I thank all the people who came to see me.
I’ve always thought tennis was a show and tried to excite people who make sacrifices to watch the games. I always tried to show my best version.I can’t name all the coaches I’ve had, there are many: you’ve all been part of my story.
I thank all my family. My father believed in me and made this possible. He was the first to hand me a racket. He gave me a passion for tennis and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”Feliciano Lopez closes a career that has given twists until the end.
From the Grand Slam triumph in doubles at Roland Garros in 2016, to the success on the grass of Queen’s at almost 38 years old in 2019, passing through the four Davis Cup titles in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2019.In total, he won 7 singles and 6 doubles ATP trophies, reaching respectively the twelfth (2015) and ninth (2016) best rankings.
