The retirement of Feliciano Lopez after the Mallorca Championships this year marked the end of an era, as he was the last ranked ATP singles player to have turned pro during the 1990s.

Lopez first turned pro in 1997 at the age of 16, debuting at the Mallorca Challenger where he went out in the second round to Dusan Vemic. The Spaniard then made his ATP debut at the 1998 Open SEAT. In 2001, he won his first match on the ATP Tour at the Chevrolet Cup, defeating Adrian Garcia before bowing out in the quarter-finals against Guillermo Coria.

The 41-year-old turned pro a year before Roger Federer, meaning he played right through the legendary era of the Big Three - Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. Some of Lopez's career highlights include reaching the quarter-finals of Wimbledon three times in the 2000s and getting to the US Open quarter-finals in 2015.

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Lopez's career came full circle at Mallorca 

In January 2023, Lopez announced that this season would be his last. After receiving a wildcard for the Mallorca Championships in June, his career came full circle as this was the final tournament of his 26-year-long career.

Lopez defeated Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson to reach the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event, becoming the oldest ATP quarter-finalist since 1995 in the process.

After the tournament, Lopez posted a farewell message on his Instagram page:

"I leave happy and grateful. I have accomplished many of my childhood dreams playing the most beautiful sport in earth but, above all, i stay with the amount of extraordinary people that I’ve meet along the way. I would not be the person i am today without their teachings and guidance."

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Fans praise Lopez's long career, mark 'end of an era'

Tennis fans have taken to social media recently to mark the 'end of an era' that Lopez's retirement symbolized, and to praise the player's long career.

"A decade that started with Lendl, Becker, and Edberg at the helm lost its final singles player this year in López.

Having turned pro in 1997 at 16, López 26 year career saw him outlast quite literally every one of his peers.

His points from his final appearance at Mallorca will keep him in the top 1000 until 2024. He might not have had one of the greatest careers but the longevity is an achievement in itself," wrote one Reddit user.

"His longevity is impressive. He won his first title in Vienna in 2004, but he won his 'best' title in 2019 at Queen's, when he was 37 (turning 38). Reached a career high of 12 in rankings in early 2015," added another.

Meanwhile, another fan commended Lopez's success on grass, having won 87 matches on the surface, more than any other Spanish player including Nadal.

"Lopez is a legend of the game! Well known within the community and a great grass player on his day," they wrote.