RRoger Federer said goodbye to tennis. What fans have long feared has now been made official at a press conference. While this may seem like a devastating blow to the sport, it’s worth remembering that this is just the first of a list of heartbreaking sports exits to follow.
The Swiss superstar is the first of a golden generation of athletes to take a big step towards retirement.
Next to Federer is Rafael Nadal tennis, LeBron James in basketball Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in football and Lewis Hamilton as well as Fernando Alonso in Formula 1.
bye Federer his decision to retire seemed to suit him, it seems that others are not yet in the mood to follow suit.
Rafael Nadal
The Spaniard never closed the door before retiring, but he doesn’t seem to open it either. At 36, he had an almost exciting year.
Injuries did not leave him alone, but he learned to live with them. It doesn’t look like he wants to follow in Roger’s footsteps. At least for the moment, although he is now resting after a tiring season. In fact, in the past few days, he has confirmed this: “My career is far from over.”
Fernando Alonso
“I will definitely do 400 races in Formula 1.” Just a few days ago, at the age of 41, he made it clear. At Monza, I equaled Kimi Raikkonen’s 349 starts. In Singapore, he will complete another one and will already be the absolute record holder. besides his two world championships,
As part of his agreement with Aston Martin, Alonso signed a contract for another two years until he turns 43, and then we’ll see. That’s why he left Alpine, to make sure he had a seat until he said “enough”. New project.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton won everything. He is a seven-time champion and spearheaded an era of Mercedes dominance.
In 2021, he was on the cusp of an eighth title that would put him ahead of Michael Schumacher, but this did not happen … and rumors of his farewell began to spread.
Due to the controversy following the resumption of racing in Abu Dhabi, many said that Hamilton was too devastated to race again. but he returned.
Now he doesn’t have a winning car, but he doesn’t want to retire. He has said many times that as long as he wants to compete, he will continue to do so.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
The two football stars don’t seem to be going to announce their farewell anytime soon either. They are still in good shape, although Santander is already far from La Liga.
In fact, Cristiano (37) made it clear just a few hours ago. “The goal is the World Cup… but also Euro 2024,” he said in his last speech. It seems like he still has a long way to go despite not having his best moments at club level.
And Messi, at 35, is still at PSG. Just this week, he scored the goal that propelled PSG to the top of the Ligue 1 group. After all the controversy over Bara’s contract extension requests, it looks like leaving the elite hasn’t crossed his mind yet.
LeBron James
He is considered one of the best basketball players in history. He has won four rings and four MVP awards. He also has 18 consecutive All-Star selections. In 2027, LeBron James could join his two sons in the NBA.
He said it just a few months ago. He wanted it to happen… and it would keep him from possibly saying goodbye until he was 42.
“I feel like I could play for quite some time. It all depends on my body, but more importantly, on my mind,” I explained.
The past year has not been good for him. I’m done with Play-Ins, but it looks like things could change. The Lakers’ roster is being strengthened to ensure the same doesn’t happen in 2022, and it seems that this may be the motivation for a player to decide to pursue a career regardless of his age (37).