Former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian announced his retirement from professional tennis on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference in Buenos Aires, he cited persistent shoulder problems as the main reason for his decision.

The 31 year-old achieved a career high ranking of # 3 and was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2002, losing to Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. He reached the semi-finals or better at all four grand slam tournaments.

When asked for his best moments in tennis, Nalbandian replied: "The most beautiful are linked to the Davis Cup. That event feels different to anything. It was the only thing that we couldn’t achieve”.

He was member of the runner-up teams in Davis Cup in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Nalbandian, whose father is Armenian and mother Italian, was born in the town of Unquillo, Argentina.