When the tennis world came up with the shocking news of Ash Barty’s retirement from tennis at the age of 25, we at News18 Sport looked at other such shocking pensions of athletes who were at the peak of their strengths but decided to leave. away from sports.
Bjorn Borg – retired with 26
Bjorn Borg shocked the world when he announced his retirement at the age of 26 in 1983, and even though he tried to make a comeback through 1991 to 1993, the Swede could not get back into his imperious form. Known as an iceman for his frosty temperament on the court, Borg retired at the height of his power after winning 11 major championships – an Open Era record at the time, including six French Open titles, four of them in a row (1978-81) , won five straight Wimbledon titles from 1976 to 1981. He still holds the record for the highest winning percentage in match matches with 89.8 and has an amazing 92.7 winning percentage on All England (51-4 from 1973-81) – a record to be unlikely. matched or exceeded ever, and similarly, his run of 41 wins reached from 1976-81. He also has a winning percentage of 96 at the French Open.
After the epic 1981 Wimbledon final against his biggest rival John McEnroe, Borg lost 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 and talked about the defeat, he later said: “If you lose , you should be disappointed, because it’s not good to say to yourself, ‘I really do not care what’s the big deal, I lost in this final, but that’s exactly what happened to me. lost big final and it did not matter how I lost, and that’s not me. Then I realized what happened to me. was finished.
Mark Spitz – retired with 22
Mark Spitz enjoyed one of the greatest runs in Olympic history at the 1972 Munich Olympics, winning seven gold medals in eight days, setting a world record in each of the four individual and three relay races he entered. It was an unforgettable time, especially considering that four years earlier – the 1968 Mexico City Olympics – Spitz had predicted that he could win as many as six gold medals. He came home with two relay golds, a silver and a bronze – still a significant accomplishment but hardly what the brand had hoped for. His second Olympic race proved to be much more fruitful. At the age of 22, Spitz withdrew from the competition after the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. As Today.com writes, “he became one of the first American athletes to benefit from his Olympic fame by earning millions of dollars in support. His successful post-Olympic transition set the tone for future success as a businessman and motivational speaker.
Justine Henin – First pension at 25
On May 14, 2008, Justine Henin, then number one in the world, shocked the tennis world with the sudden announcement that she would retire at just 25 years old. She made the announcement three weeks before the start of the French Open, where there were three. a three-time defending champion. In total, she won four French Open titles between 2003 and 2007 and collected two US Open titles (2003, 2007) and the Australian Open crown in 2004. She was also a two-time Wimbledon finalist at the time of her retirement. She also holds the world number 1 ranking for 117 weeks from October 2003. Henin later made a comeback in 2010, reaching the finals of the US Open, losing to Serena Williams. She later explained that the decision was motivated by Roger Federer winning the elusive Roland Garros title and she had the intent to win Wimbledon. Unfortunately, she suffered an elbow injury at Wimbledon against Kim Clijsters, which forced an early end in 2010.
Michael Jordan – First Retirement in 1993
Jordan’s first retirement came in 1993 and this was due to him losing his appetite for playing basketball. He won three titles with the Chicago Bulls before he and his father’s death also played a part in him making the decision. His father was killed in the same year in an autojacking incident. There were rumors that this pension was a blow as the NBA wanted to suspend the star for his gambling addiction, but these stories were rejected by all parties.
Ian Thorpe – First Retirement at 24
Thorpedo as he was popularly known, Ian Thorpe, became a global sensation who won three gold and one silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The following year, at the World Swimming Championships, he won six gold medals and set world records in the 200-meter freestyle, the 400-meter freestyle and the 800-meter freestyle and continued his winning path until the 2004 Olympic Games. won two gold, one silver and one bronze medal in Athens. Thrope, however, took some time and returned to prepare for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but withdrew due to illness and soon after shocked the world, with 24 withdrawing from the sport. He is trying to make a comeback for the 2012 London Olympics. but could not qualify.
Gabriela Sabatini – Retired at age 26
Gabriela Sabatini ended her career at the age of 26 at a time when she was one of the biggest stars in women’s tennis. Sabatini became a professional in 1985 and was among the top 10 women’s players for almost a decade and the winner of 27 tournaments. Sabatini had missed several months of the season before her retirement due to an injury to her abdominal muscle. Sabatini spent 508 consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the world. This remains the fourth-longest top-10 streak among all players in WTA tour history. She has collected 41 titles and has achieved a career-high ranking of 3 in both singles and doubles. In singles, Sabatini won the 1990 US Open, the WTA Finals 1988 and 1994, and won the 1988 Wimbledon, 1988 US Open and silver medals at the 1988 Olympic Games. In doubles, she won Wimbledon 1988 with Steffi Graf. and reached three French Open finals.
Nico Rosberg – Retired at 31 years old
Days after winning his first world championship, Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg decided to leave the sport at the age of 31. Rosberg beat Lewis Hamilton to the title after an intense year-long battle with his Mercedes team-mate. As the son of 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, there was always pressure on Nico for his dad’s F1 success from the moment he stepped into a race car. Aside from his many accomplishments and how he excelled from motor racing at his peak, Rosberg’s F1 career might be defined as much by his defeat as his successes – especially compared to Hamilton. “I climbed my mountain, I’m at the peak, so it feels right,” he said during the announcement. “For 25 years in the race it has been my dream, my ‘one thing’, to become Formula One world champion. Through hard work, pain, sacrifice, this was my goal … and now I’ve done it.
Elena Dementieva – Retired at 29
Olympic champion Elena Dementieva surprised the tennis world by announcing her retirement in 2010, at the age of 29. The former world No. 3 is widely regarded as the most talented tennis player in the ladies’ circle for not winning a Grand Slam title. She won the 2008 Olympic gold in Beijing and collected 16 WTA singles titles. At the time of the announcement of her retirement, Dementieva said, starting a family was one of the main reasons for her decision to stop the sport.
Eric Cantona – Retired at 30
Eric Cantona’s retirement from football in 1997 came as a complete shock to all who were associated with Manchester United. The talisman Frenchman has just celebrated a fourth Premier League title in five years with the Reds, and lifted the trophy as captain at Old Trafford after the final game of the season against West Ham United. At the age of 30 and just a year from the inspiration of a young United side on a historic second double, it seems Eric is still close to his imperious peak, with many more magical moments in Manchester. But just days after the end of the season, ‘The King’ announced that he was hanging up his boots.
Lorena Ochoa – Retired at age 28
Lorena Ochoa retired in 2010 at the age of 28 when she was the number 1 golfer in the world. She is the No. 1 ranked female golfer in the world for a consecutive 157 weeks and less than eight full seasons on the LPGA, she won 27 titles-17 come and go 24 months immediately before retirement. She has been a two-time grand champion and the dominant presence on tour since Annika Sorenstam’s retirement in 2008. “First, I wanted to retire as number one,” she said. “Second, I always dreamed of saying goodbye to Mexico. Now I want to leave and enjoy everyday life. I want to give back to my family the times I have not been able to give them in the last eight years. “I am very pleased with my performance,” Ochoa said during her retirement.
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