{"id":107337,"date":"2026-04-22T17:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/?p=107337"},"modified":"2026-04-22T20:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:32:30","slug":"bautista-agut-says-adios-to-madrid-my-dream-came-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/bautista-agut-says-adios-to-madrid-my-dream-came-true\/","title":{"rendered":"Bautista Agut says\u00a0adios\u00a0to Madrid: \u201cMy dream came true\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the first day of competition at the Mutua Madrid Open a Spanish great said\u00a0adios<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Roberto Bautista Agut received an emotional farewell on Wednesday in the Manolo Santana Stadium, where the crowd supported him on an emotion-packed day. The player from Castellon was competing for the last time on the clay of Madrid, bringing an end to a story of commitment, heart, and complete respect for the sport. The Caja Magica gave a standing ovation to one of its all-time home favourites, an ever-present at the event in the Spanish capital.<\/p>\n

At 38 years of age, Bautista dedicated his final stand to the city of Madrid, surrounded by his family, many friends, and a crowd that has supported him edition after edition of the event. The result on the clay, where Argentina\u2019s Thiago Agust\u00edn Tirante cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 victory, was secondary at such an highly-anticipated and emotional farewell.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we are young, we dream of having a tennis career and playing in these tournaments\u201d, said Bautista Agut, who was presented with a commemorative plaque on the clay by directors Feliciano L\u00f3pez and Garbi\u00f1e Muguruza. \u201cMy dream came true, I have played in the best tournaments in the world. I won the Davis Cup with Feli and my teammates. I have achieved many things, but what I cherish most is everything tennis has given me, the values this sport has taught me out of necessity\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are moments you don\u2019t really consider while you\u2019re still a player\u201d, Roberto explained, grateful for the ovation he received on court. \u201cWhen you decide it\u2019s time, you start to get used to the idea. There were a lot of emotions on the court today, it wasn\u2019t an easy match to play. This year I wanted to compete as a local and do well. It\u2019s hard to believe, but even at 38, the nerves never go away. It was amazing, I enjoyed a beautiful farewell with my family and team on court\u201d.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Bautista Agut became one of the most beloved players among the Madrid fans, who became used to watching his great matches. With countless memories, including 26 appearances as in the Caja Magica, Roberto progressed until he became one of the most important figures in Spanish tennis this century. From reaching the semi-finals on his first outing in the main draw, a real statement of intent at the tournament, Roberto made Madrid a must on his calendar year after year.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere in Madrid I have had very special moments as an athlete, I am very grateful to the tournament\u201d, the Spaniard admitted emotionally. \u201cThe semi-final I reached in Madrid in 2014 was the result that catapulted me up the rankings. I broke into the top 15, it was a turning point in my career. Perhaps my most emotional moment as a tennis player was the Davis Cup final in the Caja Magica. I have fond memories of those times. This court is very special to me\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Castellon native, who just a few days ago announced his decision to end his career at the end of the 2026 season, is yet to confirm his calendar. His feelings will guide his final steps on the ATP Tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll keep playing and take it as it comes\u201d, explained Bautista, whose plans include competing in the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome, the Challenger in Valencia, and Roland Garros in the coming weeks. \u201cLast year, after the injury I picked up at the US Open, I was out for six months without earning points. I still have a good ranking, but I need to play now if I want to keep extending my year\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Spaniard\u2019s decision was accelerated by the needs of his body, his battles around the world having taken their toll. Now, Bautista Agut\u2019s priority is clear; to enjoy his last tournaments as if they were his first, giving one last gift to the sport that has given him everything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tough decision. I spoke first with my wife, who always supports me. After suffering the most serious injury of my career, nearly six months out, in February I couldn\u2019t see a solution. I didn\u2019t feel good on court. After Indian Wells I felt a bit better, I competed without limping. The injury has worn me down a lot, it\u2019s drained a lot of my energy. I tried to come back but couldn\u2019t. I\u2019ve been doing this for many years, so I thought it was a good time to go, because I\u2019m still at a good level and physically fit enough to have a full year with good matches\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the first day of competition at the Mutua Madrid Open a Spanish great said\u00a0adios. Roberto Bautista Agut received an emotional farewell on Wednesday in the Manolo Santana Stadium, where the crowd supported him on an emotion-packed day. The player from Castellon was competing for the last time on the clay of Madrid, bringing an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":107295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[837,838],"tags":[825,1072],"class_list":["post-107337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias-tenis-en","category-noticias-tenis-masculino-en","tag-atp-en-2","tag-roberto-bautista-agut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107337"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107338,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107337\/revisions\/107338"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mutuamadridopen.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}