Fim de Carreira

[Descartes]

Chegou a vez do Massu. Finalmente. Os últimos anos só serviram para lhe desgastar a imagem...

 

http://www.adnradio.cl/noticias/deportes/nicolas-massu-decidio-retirarse-del-tenis-profesional/20130821/nota/1955236.aspx

[Descartes]

Xavier Malisse também anunciou a retirada. O último torneio, segundo o seu comunicado, será o Australian Open de 2014.

[Peplin]

Malisse :heart:

[Lleyton]

Malisse :(

 

Tenho pena, sempre gostei muito de o ver jogar, tem mãos de ouro.

[Peplin]

Vai retirar-se com um palmarés verdadeiramente m*rdoso para a qualidade que o seu ténis tem.

[joao86]

Junta o Blake. :(

[Descartes]

E o Blake é já a seguir ao US Open...

[Lleyton]

Fuck, o Nalbandian retirou-se :cry:

 

Foi "só" o jogador que mais prazer me deu ver jogar. :heart:

 

Pena que nunca tenha ganho um Slam e a taça Davis...

[Peplin]

Outro que podia ter construído uma carreira de outro nível.

 

Nalbandian :heart:

[Joao Pereira]

Um dos grandes.

[Descartes]

Nalbandian... :( :prayer:

 

Mas já se esperava...

[Perdigas]

:prayer:

[Rōnin]

Muito triste não poder despedir-se do ténis com um último torneio :(

 

Um dos últimos grandes jogadores clássicos. Já fazia falta há algum tempo...

[Ghelthon]

:prayer:

[Hugo Jr.]

:-| :prayer:

[Peplin]

 

Uma esquerda que não me chateia minimamente.

[joao86]

Malisse. :( Perdeu hoje com o Stakhovskt e colocou um ponto final na sua carreira.

[Peplin]

Outro gajo com uma bela esquerda a 2 mãos.

[Lleyton]

O Malisse retirar-se num challenger é um bocado coiso...

[Pat Riley]

O gajo que sinto mais falta de ver jogar é o Agassi. Colava muito nele quando era puto.

[Descartes]

Player Farewells In 2013 - Part One

Retirements

 

by Josh Meiseles

 

16.12.2013

 

There were a number of players who retired from professional tennis in 2013. In Part One, we recall their career highlights, listed below according to their career-high position in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

 

No. 3 – David Nalbandian (Retired: 1 October)

 

Boasting an exceptional shotmaking arsenal, including one of the most sublime backhands of his generation, David Nalbandian was a fixture in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for a large portion of the last decade.

 

An 11-time champion on the ATP World Tour, the tenacious Argentine bade farewell in early October after 13 years. The 31 year old finished year-end Top 10 in five straight years from 2003 to 2007 and climbed to a career-high ranking of three in 2006. A semi-finalist at all four majors, Nalbandian reached his lone Grand Slam final at his first grass court tournament, the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, where he would succumb to Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets.

 

Nalbandian struggled to maintain a consistent presence on the ATP World Tour since ascending to the pinnacle of the game in the mid-2000s, in large part due to persistent hip issues. After months of rehab following a double operation on his shoulder and hip in May, the Cordoba native decided to call it quits. “I can play matches, but my shoulder won't let me continue my career. It’s tough because I have to announce my retirement from the sport that gave me so much. I'm very grateful.”

 

A feisty and dogged warrior, Nalbandian wielded a seemingly effortless backhand and had the confidence to rip winners from all angles on the court. His success against Roger Federer towards the beginning of their rivalry is perhaps his most revered accomplishment. He was never intimidated, defeating Federer for the 1998 US Open boys crown and racing out to a 5-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage. His five-set victory over Federer in the final of the 2005 Tennis Masters Cup gave him his most prestigious title. Two years later, the Argentine would win back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns in Madrid and Paris, toppling both Federer and Nadal at each event.

 

Three times a Davis Cup finalist (2004, 2008, 2011), Nalbandian put the team competition on a pedestal. “It's the event that I felt was different from the others,” he reminisced. “The pressure, the support of the people. It's something unique. It's a shame [Argentina] couldn't win it, but it's the way it was.”

 

Nalbandian said goodbye after an exhibition event this month in Argentina, with Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Juan Monaco.

 

 

No. 9 – Nicolas Massu (Retired: 27 September)

 

Much like Nalbandian, Nicolas Massu was devoted to competing for his country and took great pride in becoming the only man in history to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles at the same summer games. The Olympic Tennis Centre in Athens, Greece was the setting for the historic achievement as a weeping Massu collapsed to the court, clutching his head in disbelief, as Mardy Fish sent a backhand return wide to hand him the 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Massu had the opportunity to compete in the golden era of Chilean tennis, alongside fellow greats Marcelo Rios and Fernando Gonzalez. He would win the doubles title with Gonzalez, earning the only gold medals in Chilean Olympic history.

 

“My Olympic medals are the greatest things this sport has given me,” Massu said during his retirement press conference. “It's something I’m very proud to be able to share with my kids and tell them I'm in my country’s history.

 

“With my retirement we close two incredible decades for our sport. Marcelo Rios, Fernando Gonzalez and I contributed to put Chile's name at the top. My country can be sure that I hit each ball with all my soul and I tried to represent Chile to the fullest. I will miss the adrenaline of the Davis Cup, the ‘chi, chi, chi,’ and the ‘Let’s go Nico!’ chants.”

 

A six-time champion on the ATP World Tour, Massu accrued 162 match wins on clay, but it was on hard courts where he boasts his most impressive accomplishments. In addition to his double gold in Athens, Massu defeated a pair of former World No. 1’s in Gustavo Kuerten and Andy Roddick en route to the Madrid Masters final, in 2003, and his best Grand Slam result came in reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open in 2005.

 

 

No. 19 – Xavier Malisse (Retired: 2 October)

 

Less than a week removed from Nalbandian and Massu’s retirements, Xavier Malisse competed in his final tournament at the Mons Challenger in his native Belgium. Affectionately referred to as the ‘X-Man’, Malisse and his trademark ponytail were a fixture on the ATP World Tour since 1998. Having enjoyed most of his success on faster surfaces, the Belgian generated seemingly effortless power from both wings. A Florida resident, Malisse reached the final in Delray Beach five times, hoisting the trophy in 2005 and 2007. He would add a third ATP World Tour crown at the Aircel Chennai Open, also in 2007.

 

Malisse’s most impressive exploits occurred on the Grand Slam level. Seeded 27th at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, he came within one set from reaching the final, falling in five to Nalbandian in what would be his lone major semi. He would advance to the fourth round at the All England Club three more times and even triumphed on the clay of Roland Garros, partnering with Olivier Rochus to capture the 2004 doubles title. He would amass eight additional doubles crowns since his Paris victory, also defeating the world-class Swiss duo of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final in Indian Wells just two years ago.

 

“I liked the pressure of the game but I'm also relieved,” Malisse said following his first-round defeat in Mons. “Now I'm going to relax with my family and friends. It is hard to leave but we have to stop one day.”

 

 

No. 50 – Ricardo Mello (Retired: 11 February)

 

A former World No. 50 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Ricardo Mello hung up his racquet on home soil, at the Brasil Open. At the time of his retirement the 32 year old was one of just five active players to have accumulated 15 titles on the ATP Challenger Tour. Like Malisse, the Brazilian’s maiden ATP World Tour crown came in Delray Beach. As an unseeded player in 2004, Mello stunned top seeds and home favourites Mardy Fish and Vincent Spadea as well as former World No. 7 Mario Ancic to hoist his lone tour-level trophy. Mello’s only Top 20 conquest came at the 2004 US Open, also the site of the his best Grand Slam result. He reached the third round as a qualifier, upsetting No. 17 seed Juan Ignacio Chela in five sets to open the tournament.

 

Coming tomorrow...We look back at the careers of James Blake, Igor Andreev, Igor Kunitsyn, Ivan Navarro and Dick Norman.

 

in: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/12/51/Player-Retirements-Of-2013-Part-1.aspx

Editado 16 Dezembro 2013 por Descartes

[Descartes]

Player Farewells In 2013 - Part Two

Retirements

 

by Josh Meiseles

 

There were a number of players who retired from professional tennis in 2013. In Part Two, we continue to look back on their career highlights, listed below according to their career-high position in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

 

No. 4 – James Blake (Retired: 29 August)

 

When James Blake retired from professional tennis during the US Open, one of the more genuine and affable human beings, both on and off the court, called it a career. Employing a forehand as big as his heart and determination to succeed, the American was a 24-time finalist over a span of 13 years on the ATP World Tour. Bolstered by a strong baseline game, Blake took home 10 trophies, finished in the year-end Top 10 twice and amassed a 366-256 record.

 

Two seasons removed from suffering a broken neck while practising in Rome and losing his father to gastric cancer, Blake enjoyed a magical career year in 2006. The Yonkers native reached eight finals, including his first at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level, in Indian Wells, as well as at the Tennis Masters Cup, in what would be his lone appearance at the year-end championships. He would ascend to a career-high No. 4 in the world and could have risen even higher had it not been for one of his biggest rivals, Roger Federer. In what would simply go down as a bad run of fate, Blake encountered Federer in both finals at Indian Wells and the season finale in Shanghai as well as in the US Open quarter-finals. A year later, Blake would advance to his second Masters 1000 final, in Cincinnati, where he would fall to Federer once again. “He was the only guy who I felt like I have played well against - and still lost,” Blake said of Federer.

 

As the Pete Sampras/Andre Agassi era of American tennis came to a close, Blake helped carry the torch for the U.S. alongside friend Andy Roddick and proved to be an instrumental member of the 2007 Davis Cup clinching squad. A seven-time doubles champion as well, he reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2009, with countryman Mardy Fish.

 

Amid a rather tumultuous career, Blake’s pulsating energy and passion for the game never wavered and his philanthropic endeavors have showed no bounds. To date, the James Blake Foundation has raised over $3 million for cancer research.

 

“You know, despite the tears, I'm actually really happy about this,” Blake said in his retirement press conference. “I can do it on my own terms. Always wanted to do that. I thought about it a tonne this year. The competition is something I will miss. I will miss pressure packed moments, break points, set points, match points, crowd getting into it. But I'm so fortunate to have a life after this that I'm looking forward to with my wife, with my family.”

 

 

No. 18 – Igor Andreev (Retired: 18 September)

 

Very few players have boasted a victory over Rafael Nadal on clay, especially on the Spaniard’s home soil. One of those men was Igor Andreev, who hung up his racquet after just 11 years on the ATP World Tour, accumulating 237 match wins and three titles in that span. The 30-year-old Russian collected his win over Nadal in Valencia in 2005, when the current indoor hard court tournament was held on clay. The 7-5, 6-2Andreev quarter-final victory was followed by a three-set win over David Ferrer in the final, giving Andreev his first of three ATP World Tour titles (Palermo, Moscow) in an impressive 2005 campaign. He became the last player to beat Nadal on the surface before the Mallorca native embarked on his infamous 81-match win streak that spanned three seasons.

 

Possessing one of the more potent forehands on the ATP World Tour in his prime, Andreev’s stroke was so powerful that it elicited this reaction from Marcos Baghdatis at Roland Garros in 2007: “It’s even more powerful than Nadal’s.” It was at that tournament that the Russian made his deepest Grand Slam run, toppling three former Top 10 talents, including third-seed Andy Roddick in the first round and Baghdatis in the Round of 16, to advance to his lone major quarter-final.

 

Andreev’s career faced a downward trend, however, since vaulting to a career high World No. 18 a year later. Hampered by a multitude of injuries, including knee and shoulder troubles, he would push Roger Federer to five sets in the fourth round of the 2008 US Open, but struggled to maintain a consistent presence on the ATP World Tour since. The 2007 ATP Comeback Player of the Year made the announcement of his retirement in September, having competed in just one tour-level match this year. “This is my last year due to various factors and circumstances,” Andreev told Russian TV. “During the last few years there have been a lot of injuries, which played a decisive role. But life goes on and I want to stay in the sport.”

 

 

No. 35 – Igor Kunitsyn (Retired: 22 August)

 

A month before Andreev bade farewell, compatriot Igor Kunitsyn took his final bow during US Open qualifying. Kunitsyn is perhaps best known for his upset of former World No. 1 and countryman Marat Safin in the final of the 2008 Kremlin Cup. Ranked No. 71 in the world at the time, the 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3 victory gave him his lone title on the ATP World Tour. A doubles semi-finalist at Roland Garros in 2008, the 32 year old was also an eight-time champion on the ATP Challenger Tour. Kunitsyn is an active member of the Russian tennis community and desires to continue working closely with the Federation in the near future.

 

 

No. 67 – Ivan Navarro (Retired: 3 April)

 

A relentless serve-and-volley artist on the court, Ivan Navarro peaked at No. 67 in the world in 2009. A five-time champion on the ATP Challenger Tour, Navarro broke into the Top 100 at the age of 25 after winning his first Grand Slam match, at Roland Garros in 2007. His most memorable match came on an electric Grandstand court at the 2009 US Open, when, after upsetting No. 27 seed Ivo Karlovic in the first round, the Spaniard pushed wild card Taylor Dent to a fifth set tie-break, falling 11-9.

 

 

Doubles No. 10 – Dick Norman (Retired: 17 June)

 

No one epitomised perseverance and longevity quite like Dick Norman. A career that spanned a remarkable 22 years, the Belgian supplanted Andre Agassi as the oldest player on the ATP World Tour when the American retired in 2006. In 2009, at the age of 38, Norman became the oldest player to reach a Roland Garros final in the Open Era when he contested the doubles title match alongside Wesley Moodie. At the time, he was just the fifth player over 37 to compete in a men’s doubles Grand Slam final. A year later he would rise to a career-high Emirates ATP Doubles Ranking of 10, qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals with Moodie.

 

Norman enjoyed considerable success on the singles court as well, posting a 13-11 record in ATP Challenger Tour finals and winning more than 260 matches on the circuit. The 42 year old ascended to No. 85 in the world in 2006, a decade after reaching the Wimbledon fourth round as a lucky loser. Norman dropped just one set en route to the Round of 16, collecting upsets of former champions Pat Cash and Stefan Edberg, as well as doubles legend Todd Woodbridge, before falling to third-seed Boris Becker.

 

“My career was divided into three parts,” Norman reflected after falling in his last match, in the doubles first round of the Topshelf Open. “In 1998 I retired for a couple of years and came back in 2000. When I came back I played well in singles and then in my third career, during the past few years, I focused on doubles and enjoyed that a lot too.

 

“I won’t give up tennis because it’s my passion and I want to share it with people. I’m organising tennis holidays and doubles clinics for people who want to improve their doubles game.”

 

in: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/12/51/Player-Retirements-Of-2013-Part-2.aspx

[Hugo Jr.]

Já me tinha esquecido do James Blake :-( :prayer:

[Perdigas]

 

vai que é tua pep!

[Descartes]

No final do ano passado deixei aqui uma lista de 19 jogadores que, devido à sua idade, se aproximavam da reforma. Dessa lista 5 jogadores confirmaram a sua retirada dos courts (Blake, Chela, Massu, Malisse e Nalbandian).

 

Para antecipar os abandonos de 2014 apresento uma atualização da lista, mantendo, naturalmente, os 14 nomes que já lá estavam e acrescentando mais 5 jogadores que celebraram o seu 31º aniversário em 2013.

 

 

• 
   
  
• Tommy Haas (35)
  
• Radek Stepanek (35)
  
• Ivo Karlovic (34)
  
• Albert Montanes (33)
  
• Michael Llodra (33)
  
• Roger Federer (32)
  
• Mardy Fish (32)
  
• Jurgen Melzer (32)
  
• Feliciano Lopez (32)
  
• Jarkko Nieminen (32)
  
• Julien Benneteau (32)
  
• Nikolay Davydenko (32)
  
• Lleyton Hewitt (32)
  
• Tommy Robredo (31)
  
• David Ferrer (31)
  
• Mikhail Youzhny (31)
  
• Dmitry Tursunov (31)
  
• Nicolas Mahut (31)
  
• Paul-Henri Mathieu (31)
  

 

Aceitam-se apostas...

 

Eu acho que o Haas, o Stepanek, o Karlovic e o Fish não passam de 2014. O Llodra parece que também já anunciou o abandono para este ano. E não sei se o Davydenko aguenta muito mais tempo a arrastar-se nos courts como sucedeu em 2013...

Editado 7 Janeiro 2015 por Descartes