Roberto Bautista to play for Els Ibarsos in Primera FFCV after tennis retirement | OneFootball

Roberto Bautista has retired from tennis after more than 21 years at the top, and is set to return to football with Els Ibarsos. The club play close to his hometown, Benlloch.

He plans to join the newly promoted side for pre-season in August and link up with old friends from his first spell in the sport. "I will do pre-season in August and play my first matches, then when I can or when it fits," he told Superdeporte. The team went up as Group I champions in Segunda FFCV to reach Primera FFCV, formerly Primera Regional.

He called the tennis or football choice one of the hardest of his life and said he has always been a keen fan. Els Ibarsos are just 13 kilometres from Benlloch, and he wants to enjoy the game with friends in a good atmosphere.

His tennis career brought 12 titles, the Davis Cup, a Masters 1000 final, a Wimbledon semi-final, the Olympics and 23 ATP finals.

"At nearly 20 I was still dreaming of scoring goals, not of winning ATP titles," he said, recalling early memories around Villarreal, whose crest he has worn at many tournaments.

He said his mother nudged him towards tennis while his father preferred football, and he chose the sport where results were his responsibility alone. With less pressure now, he aims to enjoy football while staying involved in tennis, potentially coaching a young player in the near future. He had known since April that this would be his final season.

Source: Superdeporte