Fernando Gonzalez

Agreed. I loved his match against Gasquet at the AO a few years back. A cracker.

Certainly was fun to watch. Remember that time he disagreed with a linecall on clay, rubbed the mark out with his ass? All the time with the world's craziest anger/grin combo on his face.

Only ever saw him play live once, Hamburg 03, amazing stuff. He was really close to winning Roland Garros that year imo, took a red hot Ferrero to five with the draw open (Verkerk in the final).

I'll second that - what a magnificent forehand - one of the best I've seen.
Nice guy too - an animal lover. Can't get much better than that.

Thanks for the info guys, Fernando has been one of my favorites for years, will be sad to see him go

Further to @arfster's post:

Fernando Gonzalez of Chile is set to retire after the Masters tournament next month in Florida.

The 31-year-old Gonzalez, who reached No. 5 in the ATP rankings, made the announcement at an emotional news conference on Thursday.

He said he no longer had the energy to play at the top level after having been bothered by back, knee and hip injuries for several years.

Gonzalez won 11 ATP events and the three Olympic medals—gold, silver and bronze.

He reached the final of the 2007 Australian Open, losing in straight sets to Roger Fedrerer. He was also a semifinalist at the 2009 French Open and reached the quarterfinals twice in the U.S. Open and once at Wimbledon.

Gonzalez, who returned last year after being out for eight months following hip surgery, said he had gone through some “tough times” in recent months.

“I realized that I didn’t have the energy that I needed, nor am I prepared to do all I need to in order to be where I want to be,” Gonzalez said. “Given the respect tennis deserves, I have decided to step aside. Tennis has given me some incredible experiences, and I’ve met many admirable, wonderful people.”

Jose Hinzpeter, president of the Chilean tennis federation, was in shock at the decision.

“We thought we’d be able to count on him for a bit more,” Hinzpeter said.

AP.

He's retiring after Miami :-(

Thought that was coming after seeing him at Vina Del Mar, to be honest. Shame, he was a terrific player.

Update on one of my favourite players:

Fernando Gonzalez says he has no plans to retire. The 31-year-old told the press in Chile after an exhibition with Gael Monfils that, "When I do retire, you will hear it from me - not from sources close to the player."

Gonzalez, who reached a career high No. 5 in 2007, underwent hip surgery in October of 2010 and only played a handful of tournaments in 2011. Gonzalez said that he has entered the Australian Open, but may not make the trip.

Tennis Magazine.

Fernando Gonzalez is out of the French due to that knee injury.

Gonzo back in action

ATPSerbiaOpen ATP Beograd
@TipsarevicJanko against Fernando Gonzalez on centre court. (Practicing match)

Former World No. 5 Fernando Gonzalez has been given medical clearance to return to the courts, announcing on his Twitter account (@elfergonzalez) Monday: "Today I finish my 6 months post-op rehab. I was discharged and ready to go back to game."

The Chilean, currently No. 395 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings, underwent surgery on his right hip on 4 October after being limited to just two matches following Roland Garros. He will make his first tournament appearance since a first-round retirement at the US Open as a wild card entry later this month at the Serbia Open 2011.

Gonzalez, a winner of 11 ATP World Tour titles, has been training in recent weeks with the Chilean Davis Cup team in Santiago and with new coach Horacio Matta in the United States.