Retirement happens to every athlete in every sport. At the end of each season, Olympic cycle or due to other circumstances, countless athletes are faced with what may be the most difficult decision of their careers. And those in a position to make that decision for themselves are the lucky ones.

The 2020 Australian Open was the last tennis grand slam to be played without the major impact of Covid-19. The subsequent slams that year were either cancelled (Wimbledon), postponed (French Open) or suffered from major player withdrawals (US Open). As the top-flight tennis returns to Melbourne and the pandemic remains, it is not surprising that the movement of over 1,000 people associated with the Open into Australia has come with serious complications.

Following what he described as “the hardest match of my career” Andy Murray was unable to repeat the heroics of his 2020 US Open first-round victory. After an absence of over a year from the Grand Slam scene, a grinding five-set battle lasting over four hours was not what he or his performance team would have wanted. His second-round tie proved too much at this stage of his comeback as he lost in straight sets.

Even the most disciplined athlete might be forgiven for reaching for a chocolate egg or two at this time of year. Whatever your preference, it is hard to avoid the plethora of treats available over Easter. But is this such a bad thing? Could athletes actually see some benefit from indulging in a little chocolate over the Easter holiday?

The ageing process begins to induce a decline in male physical ability around the early 30’s. Borgest and a team of researchers in Australia highlighted the naturally occurring declines in metabolic, cardiovascular and hormonal systems as the precursors for performance decrements in their review study of 2015. These genetic factors cannot be escaped. And while, in well-trained populations, the performance effects often do not become significant until their early 40’s, In the tiny margins of elite sport any decline can become evident very quickly.