We must let athletes go out on their terms – not ours
Federer’s arrival as Wimbledon favourite is proof of the perils of premature retirement, says
The idea that a career becomes defined by the ending is a nonsense
After winning the 92nd professional tournament of his career on Sunday, and ahead of arriving this week as favourite for the Wimbledon title he first lifted in 2003, it is hard to imagine a better advertisement than Roger Federer for the perils of premature retirement.
An outside pressure and debate about ‘getting out at the right moment’ seems to surround every great sporting career once it reaches middle age and, amid the five-year wait for an 18th grand slam title, Federer faced repeated calls to hang up his racket.
The problem was that it was always so much more about us than him. So treasured were the memories of Federer in his pomp that it was disproportionately painful to see him lose to the likes of Kei Nishikori, Sergiy Stakhovsky, Federico Delbonis or Daniel Brands, as he did during a four-month period in 2013.
Federer himself always looked perplexed by the suggestion that he should stop, and that was because he understood the most basic and important tenet of sport so intuitively well: that what ultimately mattered was not the outcome but his enjoyment of the competition, the lifestyle and the enduring attempt to be the very best thirtysomething tennis player he could be.
Image, reputation, status and the thought of some choreographed departure were an irrelevance set against ending his life’s passion. Federer’s desire to play on might have been most obviously vindicated by winning that five-set epic against Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open in January, but he would still have been right, even if he had steadily slipped down the rankings.
Jack Nicklaus was hardly diminished by playing on well beyond his best and, had he got out at the very top, would never have had his magical final Masters win in 1986 at the age of 46. Steve Davis in snooker was the same. He continued because he loved his sport, and some of his greatest memories were those rare moments when he unexpectedly rolled back the years.
The idea that a career becomes defined by the ending is a nonsense anyway.
Pete Sampras is the most obvious example of someone who went out at the very top, after winning a fifth US Open title in 2002, but it is still the body of his career – notably the seven Wimbledon titles – that we most remember.
It is the same in reverse with those who struggled, often gallantly, in the twilight of their careers. They also show us something more important: how they are in it for the activity itself and the challenge that holds, regardless of money or where they stand in the ladder.
Why should Federer stop trying to be the best tennis player he can be, any more than the veteran amateur down the local club?
Look also this week at Paolo Maldini, who kept playing for AC Milan beyond 40 and has since become sufficiently accomplished at tennis to qualify for a professional tournament on the ATP Challenger Tour. It comes down to one single quality and, if it still burns as strongly, the prospect of defeat or a scripted finale pales into irrelevance.
It is something that Usain Bolt should also reflect on later this summer amid his plan to retire, aged 30, at the World Championships in London.
Federer himself put it best in 2013 when he explained why he would continue to play after the worst year of his professional career. “If passion doesn’t outweigh the rest, then the rest is extremely near,” he said.
That basic passion has never wavered and, for all the records and statistics, it remains his most inspiring achievement of all.