Mikhail Kukushkin is retiring from professional  tennis at age 39, bringing an end to a two-decade career and joining a wave of departures from players born in the 1980s.

Retirement at the Almaty Open

Mikhail Kukushkin announced his retirement during the Almaty Open in Kazakhstan, where he opened his final tournament with a victory against Greece’s Stefanos Sakellaridis. The former world No. 39 stated that the physical and mental demands of the tour had reached a tipping point after 20 years of competition.

Tengo una sensación extraña porque he hecho esto toda mi vida, pero al mismo tiempo sé que es el momento de dejarlo, Kukushkin said in an interview published by CLAY. He explained that his recent ranking trajectory no longer matched his standards, noting that despite occasional wins last year, his standing failed to improve.

The Departure of the 1980s Generation

Kukushkin’s exit aligns with a broader generational shift. He joins peers born in the 1980s—including Gael Monfils, Stanislas Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, and Roberto Bautista Agut—who are also concluding their professional careers in 2026.

Aquellos tiempos han pasado, ahora todo es distinto, Kukushkin told CLAY, pointing to a new class of players who compete with a more powerful and aggressive style. He observed that younger competitors enter the locker room without hesitation, reshaping the competitive dynamic of the tour compared to when his own generation dominated the circuit.

Pioneering the Kazakh Tennis Project

Beyond his individual career, Kukushkin played a role in the development of tennis in Kazakhstan. In 2008, he became one of the first Russian players to change his sports nationality and represent Kazakhstan, entering a federation that had virtually zero knowledge about the sport at the time.

He credited Federation President Bulat Utemuratov with building the program from the ground up. Over the years, that investment yielded significant results, including a bicampeona de Grand Slam and world No. 1, successful Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup campaigns, and established tour-level events.

Transition to Coaching in Spain

Following his final tournament in Almaty, Kukushkin plans to focus on a boutique tennis academy he opened in Spain over the summer. Rather than managing a large-scale facility, he intends to work closely with select players, maintaining a direct involvement in the sport as he steps away from professional competition.