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Best of 2020: TOP 10 Sports Retirements |
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Best of 2020: TOP 10 Sports Retirements |
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12-25-2020, 11:43 AM
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Best of 2020: TOP 10 Sports Retirements
Year-Ender 2020: From MS Dhoni 1929 Bomb to Maria Sharapova's Heartfelt Goodbye - Top-10 Sports Retirements in 2020
With no farewell game or goodbye speech in front of their millions of followers, several sportspersons decided to call time on their careers. And, it's that time of the year when we look back and reflect. In India.com's latest series, we take a look at some of the biggest sporting retirements of 2020.  How do you leave behind the only life you've ever known? Ask a sportsperson, they might answer this with a heavy hert and tears rolling down their eyes.  Former world no. 1 Maria Sharapova stunned her fans and the whole tennis community when she dropped the 'retirement bomb' following her first round loss at the 2020 Australian Open. In her glittering 19-year-long career, Sharapova won five Grand Slam singles titles, became one of just 10 women to complete the career Grand Slam.  Unarguably, the biggest sports personality to 'call time on his career' - Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to retire was inevitable but the way the former India captain decided to walk away from limelight was 'typical Dhoni-esque' fashion.  Arguably one of the best keepers in football history, Iker Casillas - Spain's World Cup-winning captain announced his retirement from the professional game at the age of 39 in August this year. The former Real Madrid skipper had called time on his five-year spell with side Porto in July after his contract with the Portuguese club expired.  Following in the footsteps of his favourite captain and mentor, Suresh Raina also announced his retirement from international cricket within minutes of Dhoni's announcement. The 33-year-old Raina is among the few who made centuries across formats, having played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78 T20 internationals while scoring 768, 5615 and 1605 runs respectively.  Hailed as contemporary badminton's greatest star - Lin Dan's resume was one-of-a-kind in the history of sport. In his 20-year long career, the 'Super Dan' won two Olympic golds, five World Championships, and six All England titles and an overall 66 tournaments. With records like these, there is very little argument about Lin Dan's greatness as a player or athlete.  Andrew Bogut called it quits on his bid for an Olympic medal and has decided to retire after 15 years in professional basketball. The 36-year-old Australian had earlier cited back and ankle injuries, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent postponement of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 as a potential reasons to retire.  India all-rounder Irfan Pathan also announced his retirement from all forms of cricket this year. He ended an injury-ridden career that prevented him from realising his true potential. The 35-year-old's retirement was on expected lines, considering he last played a competitive game in February 2019 during the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy for Jammu and Kashmir.  There's no better partnership than 'The Bryan Brothers' in Tennis history. Mike and Bob Bryan are the most successful team of all time in men's doubles, with most number of match wins, ATP titles, Masters trophies, year-end triumphs and Grand Slams than any other men's doubles pair.  Another surprise retirement of the year - Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir 'called it quits' prematurely at the age of 28 and held the Pakistan team management responsible for his decision. He slammed coach Misbah-ul-Haq and bowling coach Waqar Younis for 'spoiling' his image.  With her limited s****-set, Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki made a name for herself and showed the world that there was still space for counter-punchers in modern tennis. She not only survived in an era of big-babe tennis but also reach the pinnacle. Wozniacki was the year-end No. 1 in 2010 and 2011, and she held the top spot for a total of 71 weeks. 
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