In tennis news, Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement. It’s shocking since she is just 25 and would win more grand slams for years to come. I wonder if the Covid years will spell burnout for more athletes. The global political conflicts aren’t helping either.

Ash Barty will be missed if she doesn’t return to her workplace like when she previously quit. The WTA and ATP tours are greatly impacted because it’s hard to manage a sport with thousands of individuals spread across the world each beating to a different drummer. Tennis must have become absolute drudgery if one of its leading stars chooses to quit. Ash Barty represents tennis-crazed Australia which loves her as much as its rock stars.

My takeaway here is that most workplaces need balance. Even remote work has become drudgery for the most dedicated troopers. Star employees like Ash Barty won’t stick around for more of the same. Professional tennis offers zero balance since its stars are on the road most of the year away from families. “Work” should also be fun with transparent career paths. No one is going to show up just for free coffee and access to a tennis club or gym. 😃

“I love the sport of tennis, but I sort of got a little bit away from what I really wanted to do. It became robotic for me, and that’s not what I wanted. It’s such an amazing sport, and I just really wanted to enjoy it, and I lost that enjoyment and that passion.”

Article link