Retirement Not Easy Call for Gonzalez

Written by: Staff on 28th February 2012

Retirement Not Easy Call for Gonzalez |

Former top 5 Fernando Gonzalez will call it quits in Key Biscayne in a month’s time, but despite suffering a series of debilitating injuries, the 31 year old did not come to the decision easily.

“Those are moments that I don’t want to live again,” he told ESPN Deportes “I’m tired of the (physical problems) so in the end [the decision to retire] makes me happy. It took several months of doubt, and doubt after doubt.”

Gonzalez, who reached the 2007 Australian Open final before falling to Roger Federer, said that he decided to retire in mid January, a few weeks before he contested his home country tournament in Vina del Mar. He woke up from a nap and had no desire to train.

“I don’t want any more of this,” he said. “I thought, ‘Oh, I have to do 20 things before going to practice,’”

Gonzalez said that the best match of his career was his defeat of Tommy Haas in the 2007 Australian Open semifinals, and the worst was when he was 20 years old and double faulted 12 times against Alex Corretja in Kitzbuhel in 2000.

After Miami, he will begin to work full time with his foundation.

Topics: Fernando Gonzalez