When athletes decide the right time to retire

Before the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the squad for India’s forthcoming tour of England in June, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli decided that the time was right to step away. To retire from a profession, in this case a highly skilled and niche one, is a very personal life event. Yet, it isn’t as if millions of fans hadn’t voiced pretty strong sentiments in favour of Kohli and Sharma retiring after India lost the away Test series in Australia in November-January.

Also read: Virat Kohli had at least 2 years of cricket left in him, should have been Test captain, says Ravi Shastri

2024 was a big year for retirements, not uncommon, especially after a mega sporting event like the Olympics. Tennis legend Rafael Nadal put down his racket for good. Football royalty Toni Kroos won the Champions League with Real Madrid, turned out for Germany one last time in the Euros and called time on his glorious career. Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement from Test cricket midway through India’s tour of Australia.

One of world hockey’s best and India’s most successful goalkeeper, P.R. Sreejesh, won his second consecutive Olympic bronze medal in Paris 2024 and left on a high.

With tennis star Novak Djokovic, 38, basketball legend LeBron James, 40, world football’s biggest stars Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, and Lionel Messi, 37, advancing in age, this year is likely to see a few more retirement announcements.

Had Sharma and Kohli still been in the plans for India’s summer tour of England, many cricket-obsessed Indians, who have no clue about what it takes in terms of fitness, skill and focus to play at the highest level, would most likely have decided for the two champions that it is high time they quit. Self-proclaimed pundits would have flooded YouTube with lengthy videos and clickbait shorts, armchair trolls would have typed out poorly spelled and expletive-laden filth on X, while reels and posts would have popped up on Instagram.

The thing is, no one but the player and their coach have the right to decide when it is time to retire. And that’s because they are in the best position to know, says former India Test cricketer-turned television pundit Deep Dasgupta. “In cricket, selectors could drop a player and then it is up to the player to take a call," he adds.

To Sreejesh, who is now the coach of India’s under-21 men’s hockey team, it is clear that retirement is the player’s decision. “The only other person who can contribute to a player’s decision on retirement is their coach. No one else," says the double Olympics medal-winner.

SLOWING DOWN

Most athletes hit their peak between the ages of 25 and 30, though this varies by sport. Peak performance can last from three-five years, depending on factors like training, genetics and injury management. During those golden years, a player performs effortlessly. Once that window of perfect equilibrium passes, performance gradually declines. This can be due to a lot of interconnected physiological and psychological factors, says sports scientist Vaibhav Daga, head of sports science and rehabilitation and sports medicine consultant at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai.

“Athletes at their peak seem to perform effortlessly due to years of training, refined technique and mental mastery. With age, they undergo physiological changes, including deterioration in reaction time, flexibility and range of motion, loss of muscle mass and strength, decline in cardiovascular efficiency and recovery rate, changes in hormone levels, neuromuscular decline and metabolic changes. These changes make it harder for athletes to maintain the speed, power, endurance, and flexibility needed for elite performance," he says.

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Daga adds that even a slight reduction in reaction time or speed can significantly affect performance in competitive sports. When you add to that the mental toll of constant competition, the pressure to win, and maintaining high standards, the situation may lead to a burnout.

“This combination of physical wear, psychological strain and external pressures makes it hard to maintain peak performance indefinitely," explains Daga, who has also worked with the Indian cricket team and multiple IPL franchises.

But this decline doesn’t mean that the player’s hard-earned skills simply disappear. It just becomes a lot harder, and takes a lot more work to continue to keep performing at a very high level. Stories of ageing players using cryo chambers, ice baths and sleep pods have been around for decades now.

Sreejesh explains this using the analogy of a car. “A new car is usually very good and requires little maintenance. But with age and use, it goes through wear and tear and it requires regular and more frequent servicing to perform well. The human body needs special treatment and care to perform at the elite level and as you age it needs a lot more of that."

In a professional athlete’s case, that “servicing" means extra focus on training, nutrition and recovery—one has to work harder and longer in the gym to ensure strength, speed, mobility and flexibility are maintained, and pay more attention to the recovery protocol.

Dasgupta points out that players with that requisite amount of extra focus are the ones who can keep playing for a longer period of time. “When you are in your 20s, you have all the energy in the world and are trying to make your name in the game. By 35-36, if you are still playing, you have made it and become famous. The question that arises then is do you still have the hunger, are you ready to make the sacrifices and put in 10-12 hours each day to be able to play at the top level? That’s the first thing that hits you," says Dasgupta.

“I still loved the game and wanted to continue playing cricket, but I didn’t want to put in such long hours. So, I quit. It happens early in the career for some and late for others… but everyone reaches this stage," he says.

I realised hockey is just a game I love, and I have to prepare for life after hockey. So, I read, educated myself, went to the market and did the school runs to prepare for life after I stop playing

IN THE MIND

Professional sports can also take a toll on an athlete’s mental health and emotional state. Anyone with a long career in professional sports goes through periods of shock and denial (in case of injuries), anger and frustration (when they make errors or miss games), depression and anxiety (over performance, fear of injury, loss of form) and eating disorders (in an effort to stay in shape). The transition away from a sports career is usually challenging for athletes, say sportspersons and sports medicine experts.

Till the moment that Sreejesh was injured in 2017, and was forced to take a few months out, hockey was everything to him. “Overnight, someone else was hailed as the Great Wall of India," recalls Sreejesh. “That put things in perspective… I realised hockey is just a game I love, and I have to prepare for life after hockey. So, I read, educated myself, went to the market and did the school runs to prepare for life after I stop playing."

Not everyone is this practical. As they approach their mid-30s, many players begin to fear for their post-sport future as they have no clue what to do once their career is over. And for most athletes, the end comes abruptly. Studies show that athletes suffer more depressive episodes than the general population.

“An athlete’s professional career winds down at a time when those of their friends and peers are just about taking off in their mid to late 30s. It’s natural for them to feel lost as they have known or done little else in their lives," says Dasgupta. When one has no clue what’s coming up next, it’s a very good reason to just continue doing what they have done all their life.

One more game. One more series. One more tournament. Every player has a greedy mindset, that’s why they succeed, says Sreejesh. Athletes try to keep playing as long as possible, adds Dasgupta.

“After all, you start playing sport as a child because you love the game and enjoy playing it. The love of the game and the hunger to keep playing don’t diminish at the same rate as your body’s abilities do," he says.

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That’s one reason why you see Djokovic trying to overcome another setback and keep trying to have a go at adding another Grand Slam. Or Ronaldo chasing another record playing in the Saudi League.

But some, like Sharma and Kohli, are content with what they have achieved and level-headed enough to go out on their own terms.

“I could have played on…I still had two more years in me, but I wanted to leave at the top of my game. The biggest compliment to me today is when people ask me, ‘Why did you stop playing,’" says Sreejesh.

Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.