After falling to sixth-seeded Sebastian Baez 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of the Rio Open, Thomas Bellucci, who had served as Brazil’s primary representative on the men’s tennis tour for the previous ten years, announced his retirement.
Belluci, who is 35 years old, is currently getting ready to switch to coaching.
In his professional career, Bellucci amassed 200 victories, won four championships, and peaked at No. 21 in the ATP rankings.
He is one of just five players to defeat Novak Djokovic 6-0 in a set on clay.
At the Madrid Open in 2011, he defeated Andy Murray, who was ranked No. 4 at the time, six times in the Top 10.
Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion and former No. 1 at the time Bellucci went professional in 2005, was his favourite athlete.
