Tjitte Weistra: 'Planning for the After-match'

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Whenever a major event such as the Olympic Games has taken place, many players start reconsidering their future, ranging from relatively easy decisions, such as a post-Olympic tournament schedule, to tough decisions such as whether to retire from international competition or the game altogether.

We recently have seen big names making announcements with regard to retirement such as Peter Gade and Jung Jae Sung (who both announced this a long time ago), as well as Thomas Laybourn, Anthony Clark, Pi Hongyan, Taufik Hidayat and Tine Rasmussen, to name a few. Also Judith Meulendijks retired after the Dutch International and so did Susan Egelstaff a while ago. And then there was the controversy over Yu Yang who announced her retirement straight after being disqualified during the London Olympic Games but now seems to be back in it.

All the above-mentioned players have had lengthy careers and all strived to be the best they could be for a very long time. They have done a lot for the game and the game has also made them who they are today. They will all have thought long and hard about their decisions. Some make an announcement way before they actually play their last event where others make it shortly before their last event and others wait with making any announcements until the last event they have set them self a target for has finished.

This article is aimed at creating some debate around what the best timing is for a player to announce their retirement. Is there a best time and do the various approaches players take have any impact on their ability to perform well while they are still playing?

Lees het hele artikel op de website van Badzine.