35-Year-Old ATP Pro Makes Emotional Confession Amid Career Uncertainty: “I’m Unemployed”

When Dominic Thiem walked away from tennis at just 31, heartbreak rippled through the sport as his haunting words: “The way we play tennis is not healthy. Nobody stays injury-free” revealed the cruel cost of greatness. While legends like Gaël Monfils and Stan Wawrinka now approach retirement with time slowly catching their bodies, the pain feels even heavier for Gastao Elias. For him, tennis no longer feels like the dream that once fueled his soul, but a relentless struggle his body may soon force him to abandon.

“Right now, I’m unemployed, and I have to get a job. I can’t play, and honestly, that seems to me a little distant vision”, Elias confessed honestly while reflecting on his difficult situation.

The former Portuguese No. 2 once stood on the edge of the ATP top 50 during the 2016 season. Back then, Elias looked capable of reaching even greater heights before injuries repeatedly interrupted his momentum.

His latest setback arrived during the opening round of the Oeiras Open 4 against Tiago Pereira. Elias suffered the injury on Wednesday while competing in the second set of the match.

Afterward, he entered the press conference room leaning on crutches with his left leg heavily strapped. The painful image immediately reflected how serious the situation had become for the veteran player.

Visibly emotional and deeply discouraged, Gastao Elias opened up about the painful uncertainty surrounding his future in tennis. Years of recurring injuries have slowly stripped away the consistency that once defined his career.

As his body continues breaking down, the Portuguese veteran no longer feels certain he can restart the exhausting cycle of recovery once again.

Elias also admitted that mentally, he no longer feels strong enough to begin another comeback attempt from zero. “I’m not seeing myself with much strength to reset again and start all over again. I have a few points left to lose the ranking, and I think it will be very difficult to play again,” said the current world No. 589.

Looking ahead, Elias admitted he feared another devastating injury setback. “I felt a very severe pain in my left calf. I have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow morning, but I most likely have a calf rupture. I was missing this one in bingo, I had already had several [ruptures] in my thighs, and now it was in the calf”, he added, quoted by the Portuguese Tennis Federation.

The frustration in his words revealed a player exhausted not only physically, but also emotionally, after years of battling injuries.

Now, while Elias struggles with the possibility of ending his career in such heartbreaking circumstances, he has also reflected on how differently he once imagined saying goodbye to the sport he started playing at only four years old.

Gastao Elias heartbreakingly fears an unworthy ending to his tennis career

Gastao Elias began attracting attention in Portuguese tennis from a very young age. Born in Lourinhã, a place without tennis courts, he trained in nearby municipalities while chasing a dream that already looked bigger than his surroundings.

His talent quickly became impossible to ignore. Elias became national champion at both 12 and 14 years old, establishing himself as one of Portugal’s brightest young prospects.

At just 15, he shocked many by making his debut in the main draw of the Estoril Open. The appearance marked the beginning of growing expectations around a teenager many believed could become one of Portugal’s future stars.

Determined to become a professional player, Elias moved to the US at 16 years old. He joined a prestigious academy in Florida where legendary names such as Andre Agassi, Tommy Haas, Boris Becker, Serena Williams, and Maria Sharapova had previously trained.

The work he developed there, combined with the natural talent everyone recognized in him, turned Elias into one of the most promising names in junior tennis. It was not surprising when he climbed as high as No. 6 in the junior world rankings.

However, transitioning into the senior circuit proved far more complicated than many expected. Although his talent remained unquestionable, injuries repeatedly interrupted his progress and prevented him from fully delivering on the enormous promise surrounding his career.

Even with those setbacks, Elias still built an impressive résumé in professional tennis. He remains the Portuguese player with the most Challenger titles ever, winning 10, while also reaching a record 23 Challenger finals.

Now, however, the emotional reality of retirement has started becoming impossible to avoid. “My idea was not to end my career this way, not a little more or less. There are still many tournaments in Portugal, I had planned to play them all, but now they are far away and I find it very difficult to compete again,” he admitted painfully.

Elias also revealed how difficult it feels to accept that his mind still wants tennis while his body continues refusing to cooperate. “I can play one last game in a tournament here or there, but at the moment, it doesn’t make much sense. I really wanted to continue playing, and I have the mental availability to do so, I love this life and this profession, but unfortunately, the body does not allow me to continue at all.”

As retirement now slowly approaches, the ending to Elias’ journey feels less like a perfect farewell and more like the closing chapter of a career forever surrounded by questions of what could have been without the constant burden of injuries.

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