ATP Tour

Homage to an indefatigable warrior: Ramos-Vinolas says goodbye to tennis

“My heart wants to continue, it loves tennis and competing, but my head tells me that everything must come to an end and the best thing to do is to accept it.” On 30 March, Albert Ramos-Vinolas announced that 2025 would be his last year as a professional tennis player. One hundred and ninety-three days later, the Spaniard said adios to the Tour on court at the Copa Faulcombridge by Marcos Automocion.

Surrounded by his family and his home fans, the 37-year-old left-hander brought an end to his dazzling career after losing to Great Britain’s Jan Choinski 6-4, 7-5 on Thursday in one hour and 41 minutes in the quarter-finals of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Valencia.

The Catalonian, who turned pro in 2007, hangs up his racquet with four ATP Tour titles under his belt from Bastad 2016, Gstaad 2019, Estoril 2021 and Cordoba 2022, as well as eight further finals, including one at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2017. It was at that tournament that he claimed the biggest scalp of his career; that of then-World No. 1 Andy Murray in the last 16.

Victories like these helped him climb into the Top 20, and he peaked in the PIF ATP Rankings at No. 17 in 2017.

During his career, Ramos Vinolas played 923 matches on the ATP Tour (281-333) and the ATP Challenger Tour (197-112). His most successful surface was clay, where he picked up 200 victories, making him one of just 20 Spaniards to reach a double century on the surface .

Until his retirement, he was the active player with the biggest victory haul on clay ahead of Pablo Carreno Busta (116), Roberto Bautista (105) and Carlos Alcaraz (103).

Apart from winning all of his ATP Tour titles on clay, Ramos-Vinolas also enjoyed his best Grand Slam tournament result at Roland Garros in 2016, when he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Stan Wawrinka). A year later, he again reached the second week in Paris, before bowing out to Novak Djokovic in the fourth round.

On the ATP Challenger Tour, he claimed eight titles in Spain and Italy: San Sebastian (2010, 2011), Sevilla (2010), Milan (2011, 2014), Genoa (2014), San Benedetto (2015) and Modena (2024).