The coronavirus pandemic has led to the postponement of Olympics to 2021. With the global event now taking place a year later, there are fears that aging players might retire and not be around to be part of the spectacle.?
Let us look at player who might call it a day before the Tokyo Olympics:
The 20-time Grand Slam winner, Swiss ace will be 40 in August of 2021. He did win an Olympic gold in doubles partnering fellow countryman Stan Wawrinka in 2008 Beijing Olymoics, but his hopes of winning a singles gold looks to be gone.?
The US great and winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles will be 40 in September next year although her desire to play in Tokyo might not be as pressing as that of Federer.??
Williams already has four Olympic gold medals -- singles at London in 2012 and women's doubles with sister Venus in 2000, 2008 in Beijing and London four years later.??
Tiger Woods,one of the greatest golfers of all time, is 45 and would struggle to make the US squad for the Games next year.?
He is currently only the sixth-ranked American with just the top four guaranteed to make the squad.??
The only female track and field athlete in history to win six Olympic gold medals, Felix had spent the last two years preparing for a golden farewell at the Tokyo Olympics.??
Felix, who turns 35 at the end of this year, will be racing against time as she attempts to improve her medal tally in what will be her fifth consecutive Olympics appearance.??
Compared to other athletes, she is still young and does have an outside chance of making it to the showpiece event.
Gatlin had planned to retire in 2020 after competing in his fourth Olympics at the age of 38. However the controversial American star now plans to extend his career in order to compete in the rescheduled Tokyo Games.
Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic champion, though could face a battle to even qualify given the depth of the US men's sprinting squad, with Christian Coleman and Noah Lyles the favourites in the 100m and 200m.