Albert Ramos: "I have been preparing for this moment for many years"

During Albert Ramos' farewell tour (Barcelona, 1988), the Trofeo Conde de Godó could not be missing, the club where he grew up and competed for nearly twenty seasons. The 2025 edition will be the last one, but the imprint he leaves in his first-round match against Holger Rune (7-5, 6-4) is that of a man who, if his physique allows, keeps fighting until the last ball. After receiving a well-deserved tribute on the Central Court, the Catalan tennis player sits down with Punto de Break to provide a brief analysis of this experience and also discuss what lies ahead in the coming months.

Did you expect to play at this level?

Honestly, after Montecarlo, when I received the invitation and came here to play the first match against Bonzi, I felt really good, especially compared to how I had been feeling in recent times. Then in the second round, it was different; it was a bit harder to recover. But training these days, I have seen myself at a very high level. Today, I was missing a bit in the first set; if I had managed to break... who knows what would have happened.

Matches like this, don't they make you rethink everything?

I had been playing at a level for a long time that was not this one... It's also true that I won one match and lost two. Now the question is how I recover after a victory. I would have loved to keep playing because it's when I truly enjoy myself, playing at this level. Today, I did it against an opponent who has been top 10 and will be back there soon. However, I know that reality is not like this every day.

It's as if you've freed yourself since the announcement.

It may be, when you lose ranking, you want to come back as soon as possible, putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Besides, the Challenger tournaments are tougher than ever now, but here I found a ball that's a bit faster again. In my case, excessively slow balls are one of the reasons I lost a bit of level; perhaps that's why I felt a bit better today. I don't know, maybe it's a bit mental, but there are also other factors.

Image

When did you make that decision?

The preseason was very tough; in South America, I had a fiber break that led to pubic osteopathy, and that's when I realized that the years have passed. Now I need to be in great shape to maintain the level, as I'm not a player with a very strong serve, but when I prepare to the fullest, pains arise. It's hard for me to recover after winning a match. Honestly, I saw that this had to end.

Are you a big fan of tributes?

I'm quite a reserved person, not big on social media and all that show. Obviously, I was very excited about this tribute; after all, this is my club, and in front of me were my entire family, my friends, and people I care about. I have competed here for many years, so I can only be grateful.

Does retirement scare you?

I have been working with psychoanalysis for many years to be better overall and specifically to prepare for the moment of change. When you do something very intensely for many years... you get so involved that, when it ends, many athletes go through depressions and challenging times. I don't want to be one of them, which is why I have been preparing. I made the decision three weeks ago, yes, but I haven't felt ready yet to decide where the last tournament will be. Maybe it would have been best to play the last match here, but I didn't feel prepared. I prefer to continue playing some tournaments during the year; I believe it is the best.

Which tournaments will we see you in?

The problem is the ranking... I would love to play the Mutua Madrid Open, but I don't know if it will be possible, I don't know if I'll be invited. It would mean a lot to me; every time I've been at the Caja Mágica, I've felt a lot of love and warmth from the audience; they cheer a lot for the Spaniards. I would also love to compete in the Roland Garros qualifying rounds; right now, I'm very close; I don't know if I'll make it.

When I look at your career, your longevity, I think you have not received the recognition you deserve.

Personally, I don't need it; I don't have an ego that requires any special recognition. I am happy and calm with everything I have done, with all the struggles, and all the effort I have made to be a better tennis player. All I hope is that people see in me a player who has always tried to give his all throughout his career.

Image

And the whole career with the same coach, José María Díaz. That is truly difficult!

We both started from scratch, with no experience; we have grown hand in hand on this journey. Over the years, we have gained that experience, always trying to find the best for me, especially him. He has always been interested and asked questions to people to take the next step and keep improving. Moreover, he has done it very naturally; he knows me better than anyone, he knows perfectly well what I think just by looking at me. I am very grateful to him; we have spent many years together, with good times and not-so-good ones, like all pairs, but I believe that in the end, both of us have given our best to make this work out well.

Last year, José María told me, at the moment of starting to work with you, someone said to him: 'When he's good, he'll leave you.' This person should be handed some bill...

Well... (laughs). It's best to remember all the good moments and all these years of sacrifice together.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Albert Ramos: “Llevo muchos años preparando este momento”