Florian Mayer (34) will end his active career after the US Open at the beginning of September after 17 years on the ATP tour. This was announced in an interview with the Bavarian Tennis Association by the man from Bayreuth, who will start at the tournament in Munich on Monday.
“This is my last BMW Open, my last year on the road. After the US Open is definitely over,” said Mayer.
Mayer has celebrated two tournament victories since his ATP debut in 2001, including his success at the grass court event in Hall 2016, twice reaching the quarter-finals in Wimbledon (2004, 2012) and in his twelve appearances in the German Davis Cup team, he scored 10:9 victories in his singles. In 2011, Bayer, known for its backhand, achieved its highest position in the world rankings with 18th place.
Now he feels the wear and tear especially physically. “The young players in their early 20s come along, highly motivated, fit, play very hard and athletic. It’s getting harder and harder to stay in the top 100 from year to year,” said Mayer, who is currently in 72nd place: “With my varied game, with lots of stops and slice, it’s getting harder and harder on surfaces that are getting faster and faster.
Until the end of his career he would like to enjoy his performances again, especially at the home tournaments in Munich, Stuttgart, Halle and Hamburg. “In Halle, where I won the tournament and in Hamburg, where I reached the final – playing on the Center Court again is a great thing,” said Mayer.