Phoenix 24
Only weeks after ending his professional tennis career, the former world No. 9 returned to the sport he abandoned as a teenager and immediately found the net.
Castellón, Spain, August 14, 2026.— Roberto Bautista Agut has begun an unexpected chapter in his sporting life by returning to competitive football after retiring from professional tennis.
The 38-year-old joined CD Els Ibarsos and made his debut in a preseason friendly against Morella. Playing as a forward and wearing the number 11 shirt, Bautista scored twice as his new team secured a 4-2 victory.
Football was not unfamiliar territory for the Spaniard. During his childhood, he trained in Villarreal’s youth system before deciding at approximately 14 years old to concentrate exclusively on tennis.
His new club also carries a strong family connection. Bautista’s father, Ximo, previously played for Els Ibarsos, giving the former tennis player’s arrival an emotional significance beyond the competition itself.
Bautista concluded his professional tennis career in July after more than two decades on the circuit. He played more than 700 ATP Tour matches, collected 12 singles titles and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 9 in 2019.
That same season produced two of his greatest achievements. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals and helped Spain win the Davis Cup, returning to the team shortly after the death of his father and defeating Félix Auger-Aliassime in the final against Canada.
His football appearance does not represent an attempt to reproduce his elite tennis career in another discipline. Instead, it offers him the opportunity to remain active, compete in a local environment and reconnect with a passion he set aside during adolescence.
Scoring twice on his debut provided an ideal beginning. After spending most of his life measuring success through sets and match points, Bautista has discovered that his competitive instincts remain intact on a very different playing field.
Some stories begin long before they are told.