Another one can't handle the pressure. World's #1 ranked female tennis player retires..... at age 25!

I'm a boomer and I responded favorably to her desire to retire. I bet most of the young people who hate their jobs are the ones criticizing her.

To be fair to OP, i dont think OP is asking if she is "allowed to retire" as many have suggested. i think the question revolves around young talented people having to retire due to pressure/ burn out. Valid question. To be clear, i am quite sure i would have not been a model citizen if anyone gave me a even mill when i was young.

Not a (likely) 55+ year old man sitting on his couch creating a new LetsRun thread to rip apart this girl for making millions and being like "I think I'm content with this and done with tennis", while he (likely) goes to work to grind away for some giant company who does not care about him or know he exists, but he insists it will ALL trickle down. Let the girl live....if i were her I'd do the exact same thing.

I know! I often wonder how pro athletes can continue to play after their first contact is up. They've already made more money than they ever would have ever made working a straight job.

You're 26-28 years old, you have $15-$20M in the bank... If that's me I am D O N E.

If you were 25 and won a $20M lottery would you keep working? Heck no.

Some people want to build a legacy or break records. That usually takes longevity. It's like NFL guys who go to other teams late in career to try and win a Superbowl. They really have nothing to prove but want the ring. Or they want to become their team's leading receiver, whatever.

She's apparently won three grand slams, which is very impressive. But, in the general scheme of things, she'll be a minor note in Women's tennis compared to those who hang around longer and win more titles. Nothing wrong with that, but the casual viewer won't know who she is or what she did ten years from now, but they'll still be talking about Serena, etc.

For one thing, if you look at people who have tons and tons of money it's very rare to see them decide that they have enough now and will just quit doing whatever got them their fortunes. And some of them actually love or at least like doing what they do that makes that money for them. Aaron Rodgers certainly does not need that $150 million deal but he has been very clear that he wants to get to the Super Bowl again.

But sure, if your sport is making you unhappy but has already made you a fortune why not quit? And it's not like she can't un-retire if she finds that she misses playing.

Barty has been playing international competitive tennis since 2009 (started as a junior at 13). She debuted as a pro at 15. She may have done too much too soon. She dropped out briefly in 2014 to play cricket. She has played singles and doubles since then and probably played a lot more tennis than many of her top tier peers. She just had enough and did not have the desire to be the greatest of all time.

Probably a combo of Moscow Mitch lovers and Ben Shapario and Charlie Kirk lovers....

Either way the one thing they have in common is raging insecurity.

Justine Henin retired just before her 26th birthday while being the #1 ranked female tennis player in the world. She won 7 Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal.

It doesn't matter how old you are, what matters is that your love and passion for the game are still the motivating factors that drive you. Barty has stepped away from the game before, so she clearly is in tune with her mental health. She's achieved her goals with regard to Grand Slams, she's financially successful and is now ready for another chapter in her life. I'm not sure where you read that she thinks "Life is so hard", she never said that. The grind of being a world class tennis player, or any sport for that matter is really tough. Safe to say, she's being playing tennis since she was 5 or 6 (guessing here), that's dedicating 20 years to something at 100%, and at a young age.

Unless you've walked the walk, don't talk the talk.

Congrats to her on an amazing career, no matter how short...or long.

Stay in your lane.

NEXT!

Good call, I forgot about Henin. Didn't she un-retire at some point? She seemed like kind of a nasty person, probably why I've forgotten about her.

Thread over. Some people simply don't have anything to prove once they've accomplished what they set out for. In my experience, the people that don't understand this usually have issues following through on their own goals.

A NCAA 16-18 year old male would beat her 6-0 6-0. Equal pay is highly flawed because women tennis players are significantly less skilled, but that's how it is I guess. Why anyone watches womens tennis is a mystery.

Truth. Funny part is elite athletes retiring young and still in their prime is nothing knew. But it always angers the emotionally stunted.

Prove what exactly? And to whom?

Bjorn Borg also quit at around the same age. In his prime.

He was the definition of mental toughness.

Being a pro tennis player is a grind. Ruthless competition. Constant international travel. You eat what you kill. No contracts. No teammates.

I'm not saying it's "harder" (whatever that means) than other jobs in "normal life". The players of course choose this path. No complaining. I'm just sayin it's not a powder puff cakewalk.

I haven't raised any Aussies.

Since this is your attitude, I'm sure you'll join me in praising Serena Williams, then, for sticking it out longer than anyone at the top level, even through childbirth and serious health problems.

For the record, I love tennis and have read many biographies of the top tennis players from different eras. I can tell you one common thread is that being a pro, the pressure to win, the grueling one-on-one competition, and the overall grind makes tennis not "fun" for them. It turns into a job. Maybe more than other team sports (that's just my opinion).

This is a different perspective for a recreational player who has a romantic view of being on the tour. "What could be bad about playing tennis for a living?"