Bautista justifies his retirement: "The moment has come, because that's how I feel"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 15 Jul 2026 | 10.00

Bautista justifies his withdrawal: "The time has come, because that's how I feel." Photo: Gettyimages

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Roberto Bautista left when and how he wanted to. Although he announced last April that this 2026 would be his last year as a professional tennis player, he did not set a date for his retirement until, after falling in Wimbledon and realizing he no longer had the strength, he decided that the Copa del Rey de Huelva was the ideal moment to end an unforgettable career.

The player from Castellón will always be remembered for his unique playing style, different from the typical Spanish tennis mold, with a different technique and a gift for playing on fast courts. This explains why nine out of his twelve ATP titles came on hard courts. But he also triumphed on clay and on grass, historically the most challenging surface for Spanish tennis.

Roberto Bautista bids farewell to tennis with twelve ATP titles and a Wimbledon semifinal

His historic run at Wimbledon 2019 will always be remembered, where he reached the semifinals facing Novak Djokovic, who would become the eventual champion and whom he pushed to a fourth set. But for a unique moment, one that stood out was during the 2019 Davis Cup finals in Madrid when, after urgently returning home due to his father's passing, he came back the next day, not only to be with the Spanish team but to compete and win. It was one of the greatest displays of sportsmanship seen in Spanish tennis and sports in general.

At 38 years old, his body has finally given in, to the extent that he will not play any more tournaments in the remaining six months of the competition: "The moment has arrived, because that’s how I feel. It’s a fact of life. There comes a time when your body and mind say ‘enough’. You have to know how to listen to yourself and retire from the circuit when the right moment comes. I don’t think I’m physically in the same shape as before. Given the state of my body, I can’t handle four or five matches per week anymore. It’s time," stated the player from Castellón in an interview with ATP Tour.

Now that he has concluded his career, Bautista can reflect as a former tennis player and recall the milestones achieved during his career: "I appreciate the consistency of my career, being able to play the entire calendar without worrying about my ranking and having enjoyed being among the best players in the world. When I look back, I appreciate how difficult it was to achieve what I have accomplished."

Roberto Bautista reached number nine in ATP ranking in 2019

He is clear about his greatest achievement on the professional circuit: "I have been among the top 100 for 16 years, and for 10 of those years, I have practically been among the top 20, which is the most difficult, because there are always injuries, tough streaks, and even personal challenges. I believe that staying there for so many years is the greatest achievement of my career, after spending 10 years among the top 20 players in the world."

It is the end of a career where Bautista always had motivations and challenges to overcome every day: "My goal was to reach the Top 100, then the Top 50, then the Top 20, and finally, the Top 10. It required a lot of effort, but I managed to reach those goals one by one. I won a title on grass, then on clay; later, I also wanted to win on hard and indoor courts. These were challenges I set for myself and successfully overcame."

He has even had the privilege of playing numerous times with the three greatest players of all time: Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, and Roger Federer. While he never managed to defeat the Spanish (0-3) or the Swiss (0-9), he did defeat the Serbian three times (3-9): "I believe they were the main driving force behind the overall improvement of the circuit. They raised the level of tennis to a height never reached before. The first time I faced Rafa, Novak, and Roger, I was amazed, thinking: ‘Wow! How will I play against them?’. The first times I faced them, it was quite shocking due to their speed, aggressiveness, playing level, physique, and strength. It was overwhelming."

But if he had to choose one, he is clear: "Perhaps Nadal at Roland Garros. The effect, the power of his shots, they hit your racquet hard. If you didn’t hit it well, it would just slice because it came with a lot of spin. His power, his intensity, they were all special in their own way. With Novak, it was his backhand that surprised me, how he covered the court and filled the gaps. With Roger, it was the speed, anticipation, and variety. I have lived through the golden era of tennis, with a very high level and a very strong Top 10; tournament draws almost never opened up, they were wonderful years," concludes a Roberto Bautista commencing a well-deserved retirement.

Another member of the Spanish Armada bids farewell, but his spirit, his grit, and above all, his way of facing the most challenging moments will always be remembered.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bautista justifica su retirada: "Ha llegado el momento, porque así lo siento"

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