The Myriad Approaches to Sports Celebrities' ‘Swansongs’

Quizmaster Phanindra Ivatury of the Netherlands shares on how sports celebrities quit their game, with numerous instances of those making a comeback after retirement.

UTRECHT (The Netherlands), Dec 1 (Bernama) -- A gamut of wide-ranging dynamics come into reckoning when it involves celebrity decisions on when to bid adieu to their storied careers.  From being emotional to bittersweet or even tricky, “calling it quits” can be complex. 

Let me quote two recent retirement examples.  Amidst frenzied fan speculation about his impending swansong, tennis icon Rafael Nadal chose to end his prolific career with an ultimate appearance at the Davis Cup Finals 2024 recently hosted in Spain which is his home country. 

Last or Not?

Turning up in Spanish colours for the opening rubber of the “best-of-three” quarterfinal tie against Netherlands, Nadal was outclassed by Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.  Was that the last professional match he had played?  Well, the answer hinged on the remaining two ties.  Had Spain won the remaining two, they would have been in the semifinals where Nadal stood another chance to play. 

Much to the agony of Nadal’s global fan base, though Carlos Alcaraz drew parity by winning the second singles for Spain, the hard fought decisive doubles rubber went the Netherlands way signalling an emotional end to Nadal’s tennis career. 

Ironically, Wesley Koolhof, a former Dutch World No.1 in doubles who also announced his plans to retire post the Davis Cup Finals, played in that decider clash, the win earning him another opportunity to play for his country, pushing his retirement to another day.

Both these players went into a type of retirement where their swansong matches were dependent on other results achieved by their respective teams.

To Pause or Prolong?

While some celebrities hint their intentions to step away while still being in the limelight, some intend to extend their careers to the extent possible.

For a mega cricketing star like India’s Sachin Tendulkar, the pearls from a professional career seemed to have come full circle when he decided to hang up his boots at the age of 40 only to be awarded the “Bharat Ratna” a year later, thereby becoming the youngest recipient of India’s highest civilian honour.  The record stands till date.

Not all retirements are as rosy as the above.  With all my decades old knowledge of the same sport, I have witnessed many celebrated cricketers ignore ominous signs of waning form with delayed retirement decisions as they often fell by the wayside, getting dropped from their national sides, never to be selected again.  Had they timed their retirements well, they would have been accorded game farewells which they rightfully deserved after all those professional years of hard work.

‘In’ and ‘Out’ of Retirements

Former American basketball icon Michael Jordan who famously announced his retirement from the game in 1993 fuelled by a lack of desire to play and the death of his father around the same period later made an equally famous comeback to NBA in 1995 with a memorable two word announcement in the sport’s history, which said “I’m back”.

Belgian Kim Clijsters who was a former World No.1 in both women’s singles and doubles tennis, retired in 2007 only to return to courts a couple of years later following the birth of her daughter.  A sensational post retirement comeback saw “Super Mom” Cljsters win a hat trick of Grand Slam singles titles between 2009 to 2011. Another retirement followed in 2012 with yet another comeback to competitive tennis in 2020.  Her compatriot, Justin Henin, who was also a former World No.1 in women’s singles tennis retired in 2008 only to make a comeback in 2010, even reaching singles final of the first Grand Slam she played post return.

Done, Finished and Retired

After winning multiple world medals for his country until 2012, former American Competitive Swimmer Michael Phelps announced retirement from the sport at the ripe young age of 27. 

“I’m done.  I’m finished.  I’m retired.  I’m done.  No more”, he famously stated in an interview post his decision.  Four years later, Phelps was interviewed again as he came out of retirement in 2014 and added five gold and one silver medals to his already heavy kitty at the 2016 Rio Olympics before calling time on his career again.  “Done, done, done – and this time, I mean it.  I wanted to come back and finish my career how I wanted and this was the cherry on top of the cake“  mentioned Philips in that interview.

‘Definitely Not’

Always known for his quicksilver decisions on retirement from different formats of the game, Indian cricketing hero Mahendra Singh Dhoni unknowingly made the term “Definitely Not” popular in 2020 which was a reply response by him while reacting to a question on whether it was his last game for his Indian Premier League (IPL) team. 

Popularly known as “Thala” (head or teacher),  Dhoni’s two word reply remained a constant craze as scores of his fans proudly don jerseys with his name and the slogan “Definitely Not”. Mega speculations on his looming IPL retirement have been trending for the past four seasons.

Intervened Retirement

Prior to his former status as the prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan was a charismatic international cricketer who played and captained his national side. 

After co-hosts Pakistan lost in the 1987 ODI World Cup semi-final to Australia, Imran who was captaining the side announced his immediate retirement from cricket.  His spur of the moment decision got overturned in 1988 when Pakistan’s then President General Zia-ul-Haq personally intervened and convinced Imran to take back his decision. 

The biggest high in Imran’s cricketing career came post this coming out of retirement when Pakistan won the 1992 ODI World Cup in Australia under his captaincy.

“Walking Into The Sunset”

 For many sports celebrities, the easiest way to walk away into the sunset would be to remember that the next sunrise would offer another chance to bask in the glow and shine again.

-- BERNAMA

PR MJM