For some sports stars, success may be almost as great a spur to retire as failure
HE SURPRISE decision by Ash Barty, Australia’s three-time grand-slam winner, to retire from tennis at the age of 25 has provoked much consternation. One commentator even suggested it was indicative of a different attitude towards the work-life balance among millennials. But Ms Barty is far from the first tennis player to quit the sport in her prime.
Perhaps Ms Barty’s retirement came as such a shock because the recent trend has been for tennis players to keep going. The big three in the men’s game—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—are 40, 35 and 34 respectively, while Sir Andy Murray is attempting a comeback at 34. On the women’s side, 40-year-old Serena Williams has yet to announce her retirement, although she hasn’t played since last year’s Wimbledon.
But it is easy to imagine that, for other mortals, success may be almost as great a spur to retire as failure. A couple of tennis grand slams brings financial security for life, plus the scope to keep busy as a media commentator. Tennis involves endless hours of practice and fitness training, as well as ceaseless travel round the globe. Often, a successful tennis player will have started the sport at a very young age and will have had little time to do anything else.
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