Roberto Bautista Agut Reveals Heartbreaking Impact of Tennis Career on Personal Life: “My Father Bedridden and Four Nurses at Home But I Had to Travel”

Roberto Bautista Agut called time on his career after his defeat to Joao Fonseca in the first round of Wimbledon. In his career’s last match, the Spaniard suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of the Brazilian.

Agut recently sat for an interview with El Programa de Ortega on Radio Marca, during which he opened up about how his tennis career affected his personal life. He recalled the time after his father Joaquin‘s tragic accident in 2016.

My father was left tetraplegic after the accident. My mother passed away a year and a half later. Then, with my father bedridden and four nurses at home, I had to keep traveling around the world… The truth is, there were so many difficult moments.

Joaquin, a former football player and a banker, died in November 2019 when the Davis Cup was underway. Three years earlier, in 2016, his mother passed away.

Agut turned pro in 2005 and reached his career-best ranking of No.9 in November 2019. The same year, he produced his best Grand Slam performance at Wimbledon, reaching the semifinals.

Roberto Bautista Agut on his retirement

Roberto Bautista Agut was one of the most consistent players on the tour. The 38-year-old won 700 tour-level matches with a 436–302 win-loss record, with 12 of these wins coming in finals. But he realized when his body was no longer supporting the grind of tennis on a consistent basis.

There comes a time when your body and mind say ‘enough’. You have to know how to listen to yourself and step away from the Tour when the time is right. I don’t think I’m physically in the same shape as I used to be either. Given the state my body is in, I can’t cope with four or five matches a week. It’s time.

Roberto Bautista Agut told ATP Tour

Agut broke into the top 100 for the first time in 2012 and remained there until 2025. But he also spent four weeks outside of the top 100 in 2024.

Agut played his career’s first tour-level final at the 2013 Maharashtra Open and won his first title the next year at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. He beat Jiri Lehecka at the 2024 European Open to win his career’s last title.

In Majors, apart from the 2019 Wimbledon semifinals, Agut made the quarterfinals of the 2019 Australian Open as well as the fourth round of the French Open and the US Open. This year in the Majors, his campaign ended in the first rounds of the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. Since reaching that Wimbledon last four, he made the fourth round of a Major thrice.

In 2018, Agut was forced to skip Wimbledon because of an injury during the Halle Open. The following season, he suffered a four-set defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at SW19. Although Agut had a 3-9 head-to-head record over the 24-time Grand Slam champion, he never defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

I think they were the main driving force behind the improvement of the Tour in general. They raised the standard of tennis to a level that no one had ever achieved before. The first time I faced Rafa, Novak and Roger, I felt the shock of thinking: ‘Wow! How am I going to play against them?’ The first few times I faced them, it was quite a shock because of their speed, aggression, standard of play, physicality and strength. It was overwhelming.

Roberto Bautista Agut added

Federer and Nadal also hung up their racket at the 2022 Laver Cup and the 2024 Davis Cup, respectively. Djokovic, 39, recently played the semifinals of Wimbledon, where eventual champion Jannik Sinner knocked him out in straight sets. This year at the Australian Open, the Serb, after beating Sinner in the semifinals, lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the championship clash.

Also read: Iga Swiatek Told She’s ‘Not Good Enough’ by Boris Becker After Wimbledon Upset: “Something Needs to Change Dramatically”