2009 ATP World Tour - Retirements

Retirements

Following is a list of notable players (winners of a main tour title, and/or part of the ATP Rankings top 100 (singles) or top 50 (doubles) for at least one week) who announced their retirement from professional tennis during the 2009 season:

• Agustín Calleri (born September 14, 1976 in Río Cuarto, Argentina) started his pro career in 1995, reaching his best singles ranking, no. 16, in 2003. A clay court specialist, Calleri titled twice in singles and thrice in doubles during his time on the main tour, but never went further than the third round in any Grand Slam tournament. He played his last professional match in July on the ATP Challenger Tour in Bogotá.

• Guillermo Coria (born January 13, 1982 in Rufino, Argentina) joined the pro circuit in 2000, reaching his best singles ranking, no. 3, in 2004, and finishing three seasons within the top 10 (2003–2005). Junior French Open singles champion and Junior Wimbledon doubles champion in 1999, Coria collected nine singles titles on the main tour, among which two ATP Masters Series titles (Hamburg 2003 and Monte Carlo 2004). Two-time quarterfinalist at the US Open (2003, 2005), Coria lost the 2004 French Open final to countryman Gastón Gaudio, despite leading by two sets to love and later holding two match points in the final set. He played his last match in March at a Challenger event in Bangkok.

• Nicolas Coutelot (born February 9, 1977 in Strasbourg, France) became a professional in 1996, reaching his highest singles ranking, no. 87, in 2002. Coutelot mostly competed on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Men's Circuit, where he played his last match in a Futures tournament in April.

• Werner Eschauer (born April 26, 1974 in Hollenstein an der Ybbs, Austria) turned professional in 1998, reaching his career-high singles ranking of no. 52 in 2007. Eschauer competed mainly on the ATP Challenger Tour and the ITF Men's Circuit during his career, playing his last match in a Futures tournament in November.

• Luis Horna (born September 14, 1980 in Lima, Peru) came on the tour in 1998, reaching career-high rankings of singles no. 33 in 2004 and doubles no. 16 in 2008. A French Open and Wimbledon Junior doubles champion, Horna took home two singles and six doubles titles on the main circuit, clinching his biggest win at the French Open (2008), which he won with Pablo Cuevas. Horna last competed at the Lima Challenger in November.

• Thomas Johansson (born March 25, 1975 in Linköping, Sweden) turned professional in 1993 and ranked as high as no. 7 in mid-2002, though he never finished a season in the top 10. Twice a quarterfinalist at the US Open (1998, 2000), once a semifinalist in Wimbledon (2005), Johansson won one Grand Slam title at the Australian Open (2002, def. Safin). Over his career, he collected eight more singles titles, one doubles title, and a silver medal in doubles at the 2008 Olympics. Johansson last competed in the Miami qualifying in March.

• Hyung-taik Lee (born January 3, 1976 in Hoengseong, South Korea) joined the tour in 1995, reaching a career-high ranking of no. 36 in 2007. Lee won one singles and one doubles titles on the main circuit, posting his best results on the ATP Challenger Tour where he last played in Seoul in October.

• Petr Pála (born October 2, 1975 in Prague, Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia) turned professional in 1993, peaking at the no. 10 doubles spot in 2001. Pála collected seven doubles titles in his career, also finishing runner-up, alongside Pavel Vízner, at the 2001 French Open and the 2001 doubles championships. Pála played his last professional match in Gstaad in July.

• Andrei Pavel (born January 27, 1974 in Constanţa, Romania) entered the circuit in 1995, reaching the no. 13 in singles in 2004, and in doubles in 2007. A French Open junior champion in 1992, Pavel collected three trophies in singles (including the 2001 Montreal Masters) and five in doubles during his career on the main tour. He last competed in singles and in doubles during the Bucharest tournament in September.

• Mariano Puerta (born September 19, 1978 in San Francisco, Argentina) turned pro in 1998, reaching a career-high singles ranking of no. 9 in 2005. He won three singles and one doubles titles on the main tour, and reached one Grand Slam final, at the French Open (2005, lost to Nadal). Puerta was sanctioned for doping offenses in 2003 (nine months) and 2005 (eight years, later reduced to two). He came back from suspension in 2007, competing until the Lima Challenger in November.

• Sergio Roitman (born May 16, 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) became a pro player in 1996, peaking at no. 62 in singles in 2007, and no. 45 in doubles in 2008. Roitman titled twice in doubles on the main circuit, but most of his victories came on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he played his last match at the Guayaquil Challenger in November.

• Marat Safin (born January 27, 1980 in Moscow, Russia, then USSR) turned professional in 1997, and became the 18th man to lead the ATP Rankings as world no. 1 on November 20, 2000, holding the position for nine weeks over three spells. Over his 12-year career, Safin collected 25 singles titles (including five ATP Masters Series shields in Toronto (2000), Madrid (2004) and Paris (2000, 2002, 2004)) and two doubles trophies. A semifinalist at the French Open (2002) and at Wimbledon (2008), Safin won two Grand Slam titles out of four finals, his first coming at the US Open (2000, def. Sampras), his second at the Australian Open (2005, def. Hewitt) after two runner-up finishes in Melbourne (2002, lost to Johansson, 2004, lost to Federer). Three time a Top Ten finisher at the end of the season (2000, 2002, 2004), Safin also contributed to the two first Davis Cup victories for Russia in 2002 and 2006. He retired during the BNP Paribas Masters in November, playing his last match against Juan Martín del Potro before a ceremony was held for him on center court.

• Jim Thomas (born September 24, 1974 in Canton, United States) turned professional in 1996, and peaked at no. 29 doubles ranking in 2006. Thomas won six doubles titles on the main circuit during his career, and last competed in June on the ATP Challenger Tour in Reggia Emilia.

• Alexander Waske (born May 31, 1975 in Frankfurt, Germany, then West Germany) joined the circuit in 2000, reaching career-high rankings of no. 89 in singles in 2006, and no. 16 in doubles in 2007. Waske won four doubles titles on the main tour, and played his last tournament at the French Open in May.

• Tomáš Zíb (born January 31, 1976 in Písek, Czech Republic, then Czechoslovakia) joined the circuit in 1995, and reached his best singles ranking, no. 51, in 2005. Also a top-100 player in doubles, Zíb won one doubles title in his career, playing his last tournament in Rome on the ATP Challenger Tour in April.