Sebastien Grosjean Says Adieu to Professional Tennis

Written by Mike McIntyre

Thursday, 27 May 2010 22:14

Au revoir Sebastien.

Crafty veteran Sebastien Grosjean of France announced his retirement from professional tennis today at Roland Garros. Unable to continue to train due to injuries to his shoulder and knee, the 31 year-old will now step away from the ATP Tour but hopes to remain closely attached to the sport.

"Now I don't really know. I'll see," Grosjean told the assembled media. "You know, the media, I can be a commentator. And then there's my foundation , which is very important. It's time consuming. Next week there's a dinner. It's a foundation for orphan diseases. And I'll continue with perhaps exhibitions. That's for the senior tour. That's a sport I love. I'll still be close to tennis."

Once described by Andre Agassi as, " ...a phenomenally talented player who is one of the best shot-makers in the game, one of the fastest in the game," Grosjean made the most of his modest 5'9'' and 160lb frame. He managed to handle the power of opponents by using short, compact swings and incredible foot-speed. His strong forehand, slice backhand and deft touch at the net all aided Grosjean to achieve considerable success during his professional career. He was well-recognized on court for always wearing his hat on backwards with the brim often flipped up.

Highlights from Grosjean's career include winning the Davis Cup for France in 2001, qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup that same year, reaching the number-four ranking in the world in October 2002, regularly finishing in the top-twenty players in the rankings, and making numerous trips to the quarter-finals and semi-finals at the Grand Slams.

Grosjean enjoyed the most Slam success at Wimbledon where he reached the semis in both 2003 (L. to Philippoussis) and 2004 (L. to Federer). He also pushed Andy Roddick (a frequent hitting partner) to five sets in the quarter-finals of 2005.

At the Aussie Open, Grosjean reached the semi-finals in 2001 where he failed to capitalize on a two-sets-to-one lead against compatriot and close friend Arnaud Clement. He also reached the quarters in 2003 and 2004 (L. to Agassi) and 2006 (L. to Kiefer). That match against Kiefer will be remembered for a shot where the German threw his racquet through the air in desperation, sending both the ball and his racquet over the net. Oddly enough, the point was rewarded to Kiefer and no let was played.

At his home tournament at Roland Garros, Grosjean attained the semi-finals in 2001 where he lost to finalist Alex Corretja. He lost to the eventual champions in both 1998 (Moya) and 2005 (Nadal).

The only Slam where Grosjean did not have significant results was at the U.S. Open. The self-described "discreet" Frenchman perhaps could not handle the loud, in-your-face style that New York had to offer. His best result there was the third round which he reached three times. (00, 05, 07)

Grosjean certainly helped grow the popularity of tennis in France along with Cedric Pioline in the late 90s, early 2000s. He was the first Frenchman since Guy Forget to win a Masters Series event (Paris, 2001) and the first from his country to finish in the top-twenty five years in-a-row since Yannick Noah did it in the mid 1980s. When you look at all the success French tennis players are enjoying today on tour (Tsonga, Monfils, Simon, Benneteau, Gasquet and Chardy all in the top-50) you cannot help but point to Grosjean as part of that process.

Sadly injury issues that began in 2008 took their tole on Grosjean and have now forced him to leave the game he played so beautifully. In 2009 Grosjean attempted to comeback from shoulder surgery during the grass-court season but had to withdraw after a first round win at Nottingham and then retired from matches at his next two tournaments in-a-row. He compiled a 1-3 record in 2010 on tour with his last match being at the Sunrise, Florida challenger event in March.

A class-act through and through, Grosjean did not request a wildcard in singles competition at the French Open this year as he did not wish to take the spot of any emerging young players. Instead he had hoped to play doubles with Richard Gasquet. Unfortunately that final goodbye to the French crowd fell apart when Gasquet had to withdraw due to back pain.

Asked about any regrets when looking back at his career, Grosjean said he had no regrets, only wishes.

"No. I have a few wishes. I wish I could have won one of the Grand Slams. Unfortunately, I didn't manage. I put a lot of effort into this each time, yet there are better players, people who play better than I do. So no, no regrets. Had people told me I would be in the top 5 at the beginning of my career I wouldn't have believed it."

Here is a nice interview of Grosjean from 2005 which reveals some of his soft-spoken personality and certainly shows us the importance Grosjean places on his family.

See the full transcript of his retirement press conference for more on Grosjean's decision to leave the game.