Sports stars resign 2022: Federer, Williams, Vettel, Freund, Barty, Nibali, Felix end their careers

Arthur Abel: He was the king of athletes at the European Athletics Championships in Berlin in 2018. The triumph was the career highlight of the long-time SSV Ulm favorite, who has been one of Germany’s top decathletes for over 15 years. At the age of 36, he caused a sensation again in Munich in the summer when the crowd favorite was disqualified for an alleged false start over the 110m hurdles, but after a protest hours later he was allowed to start a solo run and complete the his last in the round – at the end elatedly celebrated by fans with tears in their eyes.

Dylan Alcott: With the Australian, a tennis pro who was more than just an athlete, but the face of his sport said goodbye. The 32-year-old has always fought for more equality. Although the Aussie failed to win him his last major match in Melbourne, he can still look back on an unprecedented career with 15 Grand Slam titles in singles and eight in doubles. In 2021 he became the first player in wheelchair tennis history to win the Golden Slam, meaning all four Grand Slam tournaments and gold at the Paralympic Games.

Ashleigh Barty: What Federer and Williams have in common, they don’t share. Hunger, the hunt for the next title, the next victory, the next record: that’s not the Australian’s world. After triumphing at her home Grand Slam in Melbourne, the best player in the world is short of goals. She ends at 25. Barty has disappeared from the world of tennis and this in turn associates her with Roger Federer and Serena Williams.

Lisa Brennauer: Whether on the road or by train, the Allgäu woman has celebrated success everywhere. As a time trial specialist, she has collected gold medals at world and European championships for over a decade, solo and in teams. Her crowning achievement came at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo when she won gold in track four and she improved the world record multiple times. At the European Championships in Munich there was one last title with the fours and in the individual the changing of the guard with silver behind team colleague Mieke Kröger.

Sonny Colbrelli: A drama with a happy ending spelled the end of the Italian: in March, the then 31-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest at the finish line of the first stage of the Tour of Catalonia, in which he had sprinted into second place. The former European champion recovered quickly, but the coveted comeback never materialized and the end of his career was inevitable. Even the 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner could not defend his title, a tattoo of his greatest triumph served as consolation.

Roger Federer: The tennis world mourned when he was gone. The great Swiss will end his singular career in September. Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles, 103 tournaments, Olympic gold and the Davis Cup and won the hearts of fans. At 41 it was over, my knee didn’t want to go anymore. His Laver Cup in London became the farewell party he deserved. There he was frantically celebrated by fans and colleagues, and not only the maestro himself was overwhelmed with tears at the end of a momentous career.

Allyson Felix: She is none other than the most successful track and field athlete in history: in more than 20 years of professional sports, the American has won 30 medals at the Olympic Games and World Championships, 20 of them gold. But the sprinter has not only made a name for herself on the track, but also outside of her sport. After the birth of her daughter in 2018, she campaigned for the rights of mothers in competitive sports, a topic that had previously received far too little attention.

Martin Flig: The biathlete and cross-country skier took to the stage of professional sport for the last time at this year’s Paralympics. At the opening ceremony he was given a special honor because he was allowed to carry the German flag into the stadium. Born in Stuttgart, he finished a successful career in Beijing, during which he managed to win nine world championship medals and two Paralympic medals.

Richard Friday: It was a quiet farewell to the introverted but oh-so-talented ski jumper. Freitag determined German ski jumping with Severin Freund and was able to celebrate eight World Cup victories, seven World Championship medals and Olympic silver as a team. Despite his potential, he has never won a major individual title. In the end, few flights matched him and so, after 13 World Cup winters, he decided to end his career without a bye jump.

Severino Freund: Freund was the first world-class jumper in the era of national coach Werner Schuster, became Olympic champion, world champion, overall World Cup winner and won gold at the Ski Flying World Championships. He was only denied victory at the Four Hills Tournament. After serious injuries, he fought back again, now at 34 it was finally over.

Philip Gilbert: At 40, the best classic chaser ended his generation, of the five-wheeled monuments that he won Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia, only Milan – Sanremo refused him. In addition, a world champion title and stage victories in all three Grand Tours – with the Walloon, goes a great part of his guild.

Patrick Hausding: The most successful German water jumper noticed this some time ago. At the Tokyo Olympics, where he was allowed to carry the German flag together with beach volleyball player Laura Ludwig at the inauguration, Hausding thought very specifically about his resignation. He then completed it at the German Championships in Berlin.

erik lesser: After three Olympic medals, two world titles in the pursuit and relay, seven world medals and six World Cup victories, Lesser (34) had had enough “of all the hard work”. For twelve years, Thuringian was a formative figure in the German biathlon team, forming a legendary double with his friend Arnd Peiffer. After the World Cup in March at the famous Holmenkollen, Lesser ended his career with a resounding victory in the pursuit.

Vincent Nibali: Very few pro cyclists have won all three major national tours in their career – the Italian is one of them. In addition to the successes at the Tour de France (2014), the Vuelta a Espana (2010) and the Giro d’Italia (2013), the Sicilian has also won classics such as the Milan – Sanremo and the Giro di Lombardia. Nibali was regarded as one of the best downhill racers in the scene and impressed once again in his final Giro at the age of 38 when he finished fourth overall.

Gerard Pique: Once Barcelona, ​​​​​​always Barcelona: it is there that his rise to stardom began and it is there that he concludes his career. After brief spells at Manchester United and Real Zaragoza early in his career, the Spaniard has played continuously for the big city club of his birth since 2008. With Barcelona he was eight times champions, seven times the Spanish Cup and three times the Champions League. The end of his career came as a surprise, midway through the current season the central defender retired after the 13th matchday.

Franck Ribery: Now it was finally over! The Frenchman ended his career at the age of 39, afflicted with knee pain, and was unable to finish the season. He will probably be remembered by German fans especially for his 12 years at Bayern Munich. Ribéry was in Munich from 2007 to 2019 and won the German championship nine times with Bayern, the DFB Cup and the Champions League in 2013.

Alessandro Valverde: In cycling over the last two decades, the Spaniard has played a central role in many respects: as a winner of important races, with sprint strength and climbing ability. But also as a central figure in the scandal surrounding Eufemiano Fuentes: his blood bags were found by the doping doctor and a ban followed. Subsequently, he came back just as strong and even won the 2018 world championship.

Sebastian Vettel: In the end, the long-announced resignation was not so easy for him. Vettel spoke of a thousand beautiful memories, he thanked Formula 1 for incredibly beautiful years. To date he has been the youngest world champion in history, with four world titles and 53 Grand Prix victories. In Abu Dhabi Vettel made his last laps at the age of 35, from now on his wife Hanna and the three children are the center of attention. But: Not only record champion Lewis Hamilton strongly believes in a return of Vettel.

Carina Vogt: She made history as the first Olympic champion in ski jumping, followed by two world titles. Vogt (30) was always there when needed. The Lower Bavarian is a quiet champion and has always shined with her low-key style. The fact that women’s ski jumping has come out of the niche is also hers and above all thanks to her.

(with SID)