The competition is extreme in sports globally. Hundred and thousands of athletes compete to play for their country but not everyone can achieve their goals. Only a few can reach the stage but unfortunately many among them retire due to unforeseen reasons. Apart from being physically unfit due to age, athletes retire due to injuries, mental pressure, and a lot more. Here is a list of five athletes who retired early in their careers due to personal reasons.

Michael Jordan

Michael JordanFive athletes who retired early in their career | SportzPoint.com — Image Credit- Getty Images

Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all time, retired when he was at his career's peak. He was 30 years old at that moment. It was on 6 October 1993, when he decided to retire even after being at the height of his basketball prowess. Jordan later said that he was losing his wish to play the sport. Also, he wrote in his autobiography that he was feeling exhausted to play in the Olympic team and was deciding to retire in that year only. In fact, his father's murder was a reason that impacted him. If Jordan continued playing, he could have reached some unbelievable extent of his career.

Ashleigh Barty

Ashleigh Barty: Five athletes who retired early in their career | SportzPoint.com — Image Credit- People.com

Ashleigh Barty stunned the tennis world after announcing her retirement on Wednesday. The World No. 1 women's tennis player took to Instagram to share her decision last Tuesday night. Withing the age of 25 years, she won 3 Grand Slams, 15 WTA Tour championships, and also has a 305-102 career record. The Australian is leading as the World No. 1 since 24 June 2019. She stated that she didn't have that enthusiasm to continue anymore. "I've said it to my team multiple times — 'I just don't have that in me anymore.' Physically, I have nothing more to give. I've given absolutely everything I have to this beautiful sport of tennis, and I'm really happy with that. For me, that is my success."

Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri: Five athletes who retired early in their career | SportzPoint.com — Image Credit- Getty Images

Ravi Shastri was quite an effective player of the Indian cricket team during his time. He was one of the famous names in the cricket fraternity at that point. The former Indian head coach played 80 tests and 150 ODIs for India from 1981 to 1992. Also, he proved to be a key all-rounder and executed good skills with his left-arm spin as well. Unfortunately, Shastri had to retire at the age of 31 due to his injuries. Later, he moved on to commentary and then went ahead to coach the Indian team.

Bjorn Borg

Bjorn Borg: Five athletes who retired early in their career | SportzPoint.com — Image Credit- Getty Images

Bjorn Borg retired from the tennis world only at the age of 26 years. He became the first tennis player to win 11 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era between 1974 and 1981. The legend held the ATP No. 1 ranking for 109 weeks and also won 11 Grand Slams during that time. The former world No. 1 played only 1 tournament in 1982 even after staying physically fit and ended up losing in the quarter-finals. Also, he lost the final of the 1981 Wimbledon Championships. He felt at that point that his desire to play was gone. He said later, "When I lost what shocked me was I wasn't even upset. That was not me: losing a Wimbledon final and not upset. I hate to lose."

Eric Cantona

Eric Cantona: Five athletes who retired early in their career | SportzPoint.com — Image Credit- Getty Images

At the age of 30 years, Eric Cantona announced his retirement on 17 May 1997. The French midfielder was a legend of Manchester United. He contributed to winning 4 Premier League titles in 5 years while playing at the club. People even composed songs for the legend. Their manager Alex Ferguson also recognized him as 1 of the 4 world-class players he witnessed during his 26 years of journey in the club. He was at his peak at the time of retirement and he could have achieved a lot more but he ended his journey with 2 FA Cups and 1 FWA Player of the Year award.

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