João Sousa, who is widely considered the greatest Portuguese tennis player of all time, has declared his intention to step down after the upcoming Estoril Open.
At a press conference held this Tuesday at the Clube de Ténis do Jamor, the announcement was made. The 34-year-old hopes to further advance national tennis after his retirement.
He expressed his thoughts in the press conference and said: “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 showing signs of a lot of fatigue and daily pain. After much consideration, I decided to retire from professional tennis and the Estoril Open will be my last tournament as a professional tennis player.”
He further said: “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.”
João Sousa, the best Portuguese player of all time, announces that he will retire at the @EstorilOpen next month.
An incredible career, making possible what always looked impossible for Portuguese tennis.
4 ATP titles
12 Finals
Masters 1000 QF
Grand Slam R16 (x2)
Top 30 in… pic.twitter.com/0CvpkLcHBc— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 27, 2024
Joao Sousa in 2024
LWWLLLWWLW Ranked no.280, Sousa played his last match on the 2nd of February when he lost to world no.43 Emil Ruusuvuori 6-2 6-3 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
At present, during this year Joao achieved a compiled 4-3 match record.
