Juan Carlos Ferrero Has Decided To Retire From The Tour

Written by: Staff on 13th September 2012

Juan Carlos Ferrero Has Decided To Retire From The Tour

epa03237971 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain serves to Jonathan Dasniere de Veigy of France during his first round match for the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 27 May 2012. EPA/CHRISTOPHE KARABA |

Another of men’s tennis former world no.1’s, Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero has announced he will bring his competitive career to a close a little over nine years since officially becoming the ATP World Tour’s top ranked player when he retires after next month’s Valencia Open.

Ferrero’s news comes in the wake of the retirement following the U.S. Open of Andy Roddick, the American who succeeded him after eight weeks at the top in the fall of 2003.

Spain ’s Ferrero, now aged 32, enjoyed his most successful and biggest pay day when he won the 2003 French Open title and he will leave the game with a prize fund that currently totals almost $14 million.

His triumph at Roland Garros, which featured a final win over the unseeded Dutchman Martin Verkerk, came a year after losing the final to countryman Albert Costa. In 2003 he also reached the final of the U.S. Open final, losing out to Roddick.

In all Ferrero won 16 career titles, including AT Word Tour 1000 series titles in in Madrid , Monte Carlo and Rome . After this year’s Wimbledon he still figured inside the world’s top 50 but following the U.S. Open he suffered a drop of 55 places and this week stands at 111^th in the world.

Announcing his retirement, Ferrero told www.valenciaopen500.com: “The Valencia Open 500 will be my final tournament, in the best possible scenario.

“This season injuries have prevented me from playing with regularity and it was a tough year as I realised on the court that I did not have the same ambition after 14 years at the top level.”

Ferrero was one of the more consistent performers, finishing inside the world’s top 25 for eight years. He also represented Spain in 17 Davis Cup ties, registering an 18-6 winning record in singles and he figured in three finals.

“Among the memories I would pick out the Davis Cup win in 2000, because I understood afterwards how much it meant to the country,” he insisted. “But certainly for a player, winning a grand slam or getting to number one in the world is the most important. What I will miss most is the competition, it will difficult to fill the void.”

The player long nicknamed the Mosquito concluded: “I am starting a new phase in my life with tremendous excitement,” Ferrero continued. “I will continue to be involved with tennis through the Valencia Open, the academy, the foundation that carries my name and other projects.”

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: Juan Carlos Ferrero, men tennis news, Spanish tennis news, tennis player retiring, Valencia Oopen 2012