Marcus Daniell: A tennis career ends, but a new chapter begins

For Marcus Daniell, the ASB Classic represents more than just another tournament. It’s where he first tasted glory 15 years ago, and now, it’s where he’ll bid farewell to professional tennis. 

The New Zealand doubles specialist, known for his thoughtful approach on and off the court, is stepping away from the game with no regrets and plenty of plans for the future.

The winner of the 2010 doubles in Auckland with Horia Tecau, will team up with fellow New Zealander James Watt for the doubles in Auckland and they’ve been drawn against Roberto Carballes Baena from Spain and Italy’s Luciano Darderi in the first round. 

It will be an emotional occasion for Daniell and he’ll have his family on Centre Court watching him, including his two-month-old son Rowan.

He played on the Tour last season, after almost two years away because of a freak injury picked up surfing and at the age of 35, Daniell is resolute about his decision to retire. “No regrets at all,” he says. 

“I’m really happy I went back out there to answer the question, ‘What if?’ If I hadn’t done this final year, there’d always have been a question mark about whether I was ready to stop. But I realised pretty early on that I was ready to move on.”

It’s an unflinching statement from a player whose career has been marked by persistence and thoughtfulness. Retirement, Daniell explains, doesn’t feel like a loss but a necessary step toward new opportunities.

Daniell’s retirement coincides with a broader shift in New Zealand tennis. Fellow players Artem Sitak and Rubin Statham have also hung up their rackets, marking the end of what Daniell describes as a standout era for Kiwi tennis.

“It was a really good generation of players,” he reflects. “I remember a time when there were five or six Kiwis in a Grand Slam at once. That was really cool to see. Obviously, it was mostly on the doubles side, but that’s still something to be proud of.”

Looking ahead, Daniell is optimistic about the next generation. 

“I don’t know how countries consistently produce players, especially small ones like ours,” he said.

“But hopefully, the next group can lift it up a level and keep New Zealand represented at Slams.”

While his love for tennis remains, Daniell isn’t rushing to carve out another role in the sport. 

“The honest answer is I don’t know,” he says. “Not in a traveling capacity—that much I’m sure of. But if there’s something I can do that I think will be significantly helpful, I’d be keen.”

His potential involvement would likely focus on performance tennis in New Zealand, though he’s clear it wouldn’t be a full-time role. “I care about tennis in New Zealand, and I’d want to help where I could.”

One area where Daniell is already making an impact is philanthropy. Through High Impact Athletes (HIA), the nonprofit he founded, he’s working to channel resources toward the world’s most effective charities.

But for now, he’s stepping back, if only briefly. “I’m on parental leave for three months,” he says, grinning. “Just trying to learn how to be a dad.”

Even so, HIA remains a major focus. Daniell hints at two “huge projects” in the works, with potential to move tens of millions of dollars to high-impact causes. “

People think charity work is easy, feel-good stuff, but the way I see it, it’s like a startup without equity. It takes as much time and energy as you let it. The potential for doing good is massive, though, and that keeps me motivated.”

If running HIA wasn’t enough, Daniell also serves on the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission—a position that has proven more demanding than he anticipated.

“The IOC commitments alone are monthly, if not weekly, and usually at weird hours because it’s all Switzerland time,” he explains. 

On top of that, his election has brought additional responsibilities with the New Zealand Olympic Committee and Oceania boards. “Between HIA and all of that, I’ve got plenty to keep me busy.”

As Daniell prepares to step off the court for the last time, he reflects on his career with quiet satisfaction and looks forward to a future full of possibilities. “I don’t know exactly what it will look like, but I’m excited,” he says.

From his achievements in tennis to his work in philanthropy and sports governance, Daniell has carved a unique path. Retirement, it seems, is less an ending and more a new beginning for a man whose passion reaches far beyond the lines of a tennis court.