She spent 120 weeks as World No. 1 on the WTA Rankings. She is only the fifth player after Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Serena Williams to complete 100 successive weeks at the top. And, two months ago, she won the Australian Open crown to become only the eighth woman player to win Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces.
And yet, at 25 years of age, she has chosen to retire from tennis. Yes, at just 25.
At a time when Roger Federer and Serena Williams, both 40, have not officially retired, it does come across as strange that a 25-year-old World No 1 should be calling it time on her sport. She may have felt that she would be unable to find the intensity that she brought to the court made her a great competitor. She leaves her sport with memories of effort and commitment.
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Who decides when is the ‘right time’ for an athlete to call it quits?
All things considered, retirement from sport is a personal choice of the athlete. And only the athlete can make this decision. There could be multiple reasons for an athlete to decide to retire – bodies not holding up or inability to remain competitive at the highest level or the love for battle disappearing from the heart or seeking time with family.
Cricketer VVS Laxman announced his retirement in 2012 after being picked for a Test series against New Zealand since he wanted to give a youngster the chance of playing home Tests before embarking on a string of battles overseas. “If I didn’t retire now, and my replacement didn’t score runs, I would never be able to forgive myself,” he writes in 281 and Beyond.
Why does Ash Barty’s announcement strike as being unreal?
We are so used to athlete retirements due to advancing age or injury that when an active athlete walks away from sport, especially when at the top, fans and connoisseurs alike are caught by surprise. It is almost as if they are grudging that athlete no right to make his or her decision. It seems they want the athletes to compete till there is no fuel left in their respective tank, like the troops would in a battle
Is Ash Barty’s decision a reflection of contemporary society embracing the fast forward mode?
It would not be wrong to arrive at that conclusion, indeed. For, modern society seeks instant gratification, its food is fast, Internet is of high speed, a series of To Do lists stuck in heads and on fridges. And all this despite being on a roller-coaster much of the time, believing that the future will arrive sooner than it can. It may be unfair to compare Ash Barty’s decision with that of some Sri Lankan cricketers who have chosen to retire from one format of the game, but she may be sparking off a trend of young athletes quitting their sport after what their perceive is their greatest achievement.
What would a sports psychologist make of Ash Barty’s decision to leave sport at age 25?
Divya Jain, sports and counselling psychologist, Fortis Healthcare, believes each athlete will have different motivation to retire just as he or she will choose the nature of his or her relationship with sport. “Athletes have their own individual identities and will want to explore other areas of life,” she says.
So, was it her body that dictated the timing of her retirement?
It is possible that the rigours of playing top-flight tennis have taken a toll on her body. When she pulled out of the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments, she revealed that her body had not recovered the way she had hoped after the Australian Open and that she was not able to adequately prepare for the events.
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“I don’t believe I am at the level necessary to win these events and as a result I have decided to withdraw from both tournaments. I love these events and am sad not to be there competing but getting my body right must be my focus,” she said when she made public her decision to withdraw from the two events.
Clearly, as she told her friend and broadcaster, Casey Dellacqua, her success was in knowing she gave absolutely everything she could to tennis. “I know how much work it takes to bring the best out of yourself. I don’t have that in me anymore. I just know that I’m absolutely I am spent. I just know physically I have nothing more to give and that for me is success,” she said.
Or was it her mind that made her realise that it was in her best interest to quit the sport when on top?
Ash Barty has admitted that winning Wimbledon was her only dream in tennis and her victory last year changed her perspective. While she may have wanted to quit at that point of time, the World No. 1 wanted to take on the challenge of the Australian Open since she believed a little part of her was not quite satisfied or fulfilled.
Now, that the challenge was addressed – and successfully at that – it is likely that Ash Barty could have felt a sense of emptiness. Besides taking time off to appreciate and celebrate her achievements, she may have recognized a larger goal beckoning her when she reconnected with herself. She seems to have chosen to diversify and contribute to society.
Did Ash Barty’s visit to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park impact her?
The fact that Australians are deeply hooked to their culture cannot be overlooked as a plausible reason for her decision. She discovered more about her Indigenous roots when she went to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the heart of Australia for the first time a few weeks ago. It is possible that the deeply spiritual feeling during and in the wake of the visit drove her towards thinking of doing something for the Aborigines.
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“Having felt the heartbeat of Australia at Uluru, my passion for representing my nation to the best of my ability has deepened further, so great was the impact on me. My trip to the Red Centre was a dream come true, for it is something I have wanted to do ever since I was a little girl when first learning about just how sacred a site Uluru is,” she wrote on codesports.com.au website.
“To say visiting the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park exceeded my expectations would be an understatement, so special was the experience for me. It is the most remarkable thing I have done this year and a moment I will forever treasure. It is almost impossible to describe just how powerful the visual and spiritual impact Uluru had on me,” she wrote.
Who knows? Someday soon, Ash Barty may share her larger goals and help us understand her decision to leave sport at just 25 years of age.
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