Page "Marcelo Ríos" Paragraph 16

Finally, on July 16, 2004, after years of constant injuries and back discomfort — and at just 28 years old — Rios announced his retirement from tennis during a press conference in Santiago.

He organized a farewell tour across his home country, travelling through several cities, meeting with fans, offering tennis clinics, and playing friendly matches with international and local tennis players such as Petr Korda and Goran Ivanišević.

The tour ended on December 22, 2004, at a soccer stadium in Santiago, where he played his final tennis match against Guillermo Coria of Argentina.