Tennis
Two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Serena Williams and Roger Federer, announced their retirement this year. While the 23-time Grand Slam winner, Williams played her final game at US Open, the Swiss Maestro, who has 20 Slams to his name played his last at Laver Cup.
Another notable retirement in the sport was that of Ashleigh Barty. The 3-time Grand Slam Champion shockingly retired from tennis at 25 years of age while she was ranked No. 1. The Australian quit the sport less than two months after winning the Australian Open.
Football
While a lot of footballers hung their boots this year, some decided to only retire from international football.
French ace Karim Benzema, 35 who could not take part in the World Cup due to his injury decided to end his international career. He announced his international retirement soon after his side lost the World Cup final to Argentina after a tough fight in a mouthwatering final.
Apart from Benzema, Spain's Sergio Busquets, and Belgium captain Eden Hazard also announced their international retirement.
Gerard Pique & Blaise Matuidi were the two footballers who retired from the sport. The multi-trophy winner, Pique played his last match at Camp Nou, which was also his 616th appearance for Barcelona. Matuidi, 35, who had helped France win the World Cup in 2018 decided to call it a day after he did not find any takers this year.
Apart from them Argentina’s Carlos Tevez; England’s Jermain Defoe, Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere; Belgian footballer Mousa Dembele also decided to call it a day.
Cricket
Cricket saw a lot of big names retiring in both men’s and women’s cricket.
In the Indian women’s team, legends Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj retired from all formats of cricket this year. From the men's side, Suresh Raina and Robin Uthappa retired from all forms of the game.
A lot of international stalwarts too called it quits this year. From Eoin Morgan, the English captain, to one of the most enterprising all-rounders in Cricket, Chris Morris, quite a few international players decided to end their international careers this year. New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, Windies powerhouse Kieron Pollard, and Mohd Hafeez of Pakistan too stepped away from all formats of cricket this year.
A lot of players chose to retire only in a particular format, like Ben Stokes, whose shocking ODI retirement triggered the discussion around the burdensome cricketing calendar. Apart from him, Aaron finch too decided to bid adieu to the 50-over format.
In women’s cricket, Australia’s Rachel Haynes, South Africa’s Mignon du Preez, England’s Katherine Brunt & Anya Shrubsole; New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite and Katey Martin; and Deandra Dottin of West Indies retired.
Formula 1
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November was the last race of the season and also the last race for four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel. The German driver closed his career with a 10th-place finish, while Max Verstappen collected his 15th win of the season ahead of Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez.