Schwartzman, Verdasco headline 2025 retirements

Better of 2025

Schwartzman, Verdasco headline 2025 retirements

Eubanks, Mahut, Kudla additionally function in Half 1

December 07, 2025

To mark the top of one other thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Finest Of’ collection, which can mirror on probably the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and extra. Diego Schwartzman and Fernando Verdasco lead Half 1 of our ‘Finest Of’ retirements story. Richard Gasquet and Fabio Fognini will function in Half 2.

Diego SchwartzmanSchwartzman shall be remembered on Tour, in addition to for his achievements, for being a participant who set the bar for these trying to push themselves previous no matter their very own private limitations could also be, along with his self-discipline, ardour and a born capability to compete.
Regardless of solely being 5’7” and being advised as a teen that his top would maintain him again, the Argentine went on to succeed in a career-high No. 8 within the PIF ATP Rankings, lifting 4 ATP Tour trophies.

“I actually like when folks say to me, ‘You have been a fighter, however you have been additionally an excellent tennis participant’,” Schwartzman mirrored in a first-person essay on his profession. “Simply being a fighter, you aren’t going to be on the high of the game. It’s good to play good tennis. It’s good to have a great forehand, a great serve and good motion. Simply being a fighter doesn’t get you to the highest.

“I used to be there as a result of I used to be good at this sport. No person gave me a present. I earned this. After I was younger, I did not anticipate to attain what I did. However throughout my profession, I belonged.”

Schwartzman performed 36 consecutive Grand Slams beginning at Roland Garros in 2014 and was in 52 consecutive foremost attracts at ATP Masters 1000 occasions, for greater than seven years. His greatest main outcome got here on the clay in Paris, the place he reached the semi-finals in 2020. The 33-year-old ended his profession on residence soil on the ATP 250 occasion in Buenos Aires in February.

Fernando VerdascoAfter competing in his last singles match in 2023, Fernando Verdasco returned to court docket one last time in February in Doha, the place he teamed with Novak Djokovic in doubles.

In a storied profession spanning greater than 20 years, the Spaniard gained seven ATP Tour singles titles, lifting trophies on residence soil in Valencia (2004) and Barcelona (2010. Verdasco peaked at No. 7 within the PIF ATP Rankings and amassed greater than 500 tour-level wins (559) in a formidable show of longevity. Verdasco additionally helped his nation to a few Davis Cup titles (2008, 2009 and 2011) and performed a number one function within the first of these crowns.

“The largest [memory] is the Davis Cup for my nation, which I gained 3 times,” Verdasco stated. “Of those three, probably the most particular one is the one in Argentina, once I gained the fourth level of the finals in opposition to Acasuso, and I gave my nation the victory.”

A person for the large event, Verdasco’s run to the semi-finals on the 2009 Australian Open has gone down in historical past. The lefty beat Radek Stepanek, Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en path to the final 4 earlier than he battled for 5 hours and 14 minutes in opposition to Rafael Nadal in one of many biggest matches in historical past.

Verdasco additionally excelled in doubles, the self-discipline by which he introduced his profession to an finish, alongside Djokovic in Doha. He claimed 8 doubles titles, together with the 2013 Nitto ATP Finals alongside David Marrero, and climbed as excessive as No. 8 within the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings.

Christopher EubanksThe American made headlines worldwide in 2023 when he soared to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon along with his model of ‘big-man tennis’. Recent off successful his first and solely ATP Tour title in Mallorca in June, Eubanks upset Stefanos Tsitsipas en path to the final eight in London. Nevertheless, he struggled to match that degree up to now two years and referred to as time on his profession in November.

“In case you had advised this little boy from the Southside of Atlanta that he would’ve achieved all that he did, he wouldn’t imagine you,” Eubanks wrote on social media. “2 Time ACC Participant of the Yr? Yeah proper. Wimbledon Quarter-finalist? No likelihood. An Olympian? Unfathomable. I used to be given alternative to journey around the globe and type unbelievable relationships all whereas fulfilling a lifelong dream of taking part in skilled tennis. I can’t put into phrases how blessed I’ve been. Is this totally the top?! Robust to say for sure however whether it is, WHOOPTY DOO!!! It’s been an unbelievable journey.”

Eubanks made his tour-level debut in Atlanta in 2015 and reached a career-high No. 29 within the PIF ATP Rankings in 2023.

Nicolas MahutAcross 25 years on the ATP Tour, Nicolas Mahut crafted a profession that any participant would envy.
The Frenchman captured 37 tour-level doubles titles, together with two Nitto ATP Finals crowns and 5 main titles with longtime companion Pierre-Hugues Herbert. He ascended to No. 1 within the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings and was a Davis Cup champion for France.

In singles, he gained 4 titles however is greatest remembered for his record-breaking 2010 Wimbledon epic in opposition to John Isner, which stretched over three days and lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. The American defeated Mahut 70-68 within the fifth-set.

“I discovered a solution to be related, for eternity, with Wimbledon, which for me is the best [tournament] on the earth,” Mahut, who gained Wimbledon in 2016, stated to ATPTour.com in October. “After I went this yr with my son, strolling by the aisles, he noticed his identify in any case, as a result of it’s additionally his. It offers me a bit pleasure and finally there’s nothing extra lovely for me.”

Denis KudlaSixteen years after turning skilled at age 16, Denis Kudla ended his profession surrounded by his countrymen and ladies on the United Cup in January. The 33-year-old helped information america to victory on the blended groups occasion, becoming a member of forces with Desirae Krawczyk to earn a win in opposition to the Czech Republic.

“It was tremendous emotional final night time. I’d say I undoubtedly cried a number of occasions. I am not a crying individual. I did not anticipate feelings to take over. I assumed that match was simply to get on court docket and simply take part and play,” Kudla stated after partnering with Desirae Krawczyk to a victory. “However then it simply became a particular second. I did not suppose I used to be going to retire in a stadium, a fairly full stadium too, and representing the nation, which suggests the whole lot to me.”

The Kyiv-born Kudla climbed to a career-high No. 53 within the PIF ATP Rankings and performed all the highest gamers on the world’s largest phases. The nine-time ATP Challenger Tour champion confronted Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and extra.

Vasek PospisilPospisil introduced his profession to an in depth on residence soil on the ATP Masters 1000 occasion in Toronto in July, 12 years on from when he made his breakthrough semi-final run on the similar event.

“It is simply [been] an unbelievable journey. I am so grateful, actually, [for] the profession I’ve had, the alternatives the game has given me, the folks I’ve met alongside the best way which are buddies for all times,” Pospisil stated throughout a ceremony after the match in Toronto. “Coming from a small city in B.C., it felt like a little bit of a pipe dream again then and it simply felt like a very totally different world. One factor results in one other and also you begin bettering and taking part in some small tournaments, greater tournaments and out of the blue you are right here. It is easy to lose perspective generally that that is actually a dream come true for me.”

Pospisil reached a career-high No. 25 in singles and No. 4 in doubles. He gained Wimbledon in 2014 with Jack Sock, lifting seven ATP Tour doubles trophies general.

Albert Ramos-Vinolas
Surrounded by his household and his residence followers, Albert Ramos-Vinolas ended his dazzling profession after dropping to Nice Britain’s Jan Choinski 6-4, 7-5 within the quarter-finals of the ATP Challenger Tour occasion in Valencia in October.

The Spaniard, who turned professional in 2007, hung his racquet up with 4 ATP Tour titles below his belt from Bastad 2016, Gstaad 2019, Estoril 2021 and Cordoba 2022, in addition to eight additional finals, together with one on the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in 2017. It was at that event that he claimed the largest scalp of his profession; that of then-World No. 1 Andy Murray within the final 16.

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