Dutch tennis player Raemon Sluiter ends his career in Rotterdam tournament

Dutch tennis player Raemon Sluiter played his last match as a professional at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. Sluiter lost the first round match in two sets to Frenchman Michael Llodra. After the 82-minute match, Sluiter received a standing ovation from the spectators. "I have never been of world-class," Sluiter said after the match, "but this was a farewell worthy to a world-topper. One can only be grateful."

Sluiter remarked that the results of the match supported his decision to retire, "Today it was clear: I have to play at my best to compete with a sub-topper. In the past I could defeat guys like this and give the real world-class players a hard time. This was symbolic: I'm just not good enough anymore", he said.

Sluiter became a professional tennis player in 1996, his career highlights were mostly on home soil, reacing ATP finals in Amsterdam in 2000, and in Rotterdam and Amersfoort in 2003, as well as a semi-final appearance in Rosmalen. Another career highlight was reaching the semi-finals with the Dutch Davis Cup team in 2001. He announced his retirement in February 2008.