The 34-year-old aims to continue “developing national tennis”
João Sousa, often regarded as the best Portuguese tennis player of all time, has announced his plan to retire after the upcoming Estoril Open.
The announcement came during a press conference at Clube de Ténis do Jamor this Tuesday.
“These recent times have been very difficult for me. I’ve had many injuries which have kept me from playing at the highest level. I have fought against it but my body and mind have been giving signs of a lot of fatigue and daily pain. After much consideration, I decided to retire from professional tennis and Estoril Open will be my last tournament as a professional tennis player,” the 34-year-old from Guimarães said.
Sousa was continuously ranked in the world’s top-100 between July 2013 and March 2021, having achieved a career-high ATP singles ranking of no. 28 on May 16, 2016. He is also the only Portuguese tennis player to have ever won an ATP tournament, with four titles at Kuala Lumpur (2013) Valencia (2015), Estoril Open (2018) and Pune (2022).
“During this journey, I had the opportunity to represent Portugal (at the Davis Cup). I feel great pride in what I have achieved. And I want to believe that I contributed to the development of Portuguese tennis,” he said.
The tennis star revealed that his plan is to continue “developing national tennis,” stating that there are “many doors open.”
“The time has come to choose my next challenges, but first comes some time to reflect. I anxiously await the next chapter of my life.”
Before his retirement, however, João Sousa will try to add one more achievement to his successful career at the Estoril Open, where he remains the only Portuguese player to have ever won the tournament. This year’s edition will take place between March 30 and April 7 at Clube de Ténis do Estoril.
