Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero has announced that he will retire from professional tennis in October.
Spaniard to retire from professional tennis in October
Former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero has announced that he will retire from professional tennis in October.
The 32-year-old Spaniard broke the news in a statement released by the organisers of the Valencia Open - held in late October - which will be his last tournament.
"The Valencia Open 500 will be my last tournament, on the best stage possible," read the statement from Ferrero, who is a Valencia native.
Ferrero won his only grand slam title at the French Open in 2003, although he reached the final of the US Open that same year.
On the back of that success he became the second Spaniard to top the world rankings, matching the achievement of Carlos Moya.
However, he has been troubled by injury this season, not playing for the past two months, and revealed some of his hunger for the game had now been lost.
Injuries
"This season, injuries have prevented me from playing continually and it has been a complicated year because I noticed on the court that I did not have the same ambition after 14 years at the top level," he continued.
"What I will miss the most is competing. That will be a hard gap to fill."
In total Ferrero collected 15 major titles but, reflecting on his achievements in the game, claimed some of his most treasured memories came in the Davis Cup.
"Among my memories, the Davis Cup in 2000 stands out because then I understood how important it is for the country, but for a player winning a Grand Slam or becoming world number one is the most important," he added.
