Stephen McIvor

Well, a little bit.

Obviously, there was messages coming out online suggesting she was coming back, but she'd already come back, I think, after her first baby.

And I think she was disappointed in coming back then, hoping to win another Grand Slam.

And then that sort of set her back slightly.

But it is a surprise, but it's also amazing.

It's brilliant.

At 44, we're seeing athletes looking after themselves much better now.

A lot of athletes elongating their careers way past what we would have accepted or saw as a norm.

Yeah, but speaks for itself, because how does she see herself?

What's her identity?

Very interesting with Claire earlier on talking about labels.

How does she see herself as a professional athlete?

now as a mother, as a partner.

And that identity then impacts our decision making.

And to sort of make that cessation, I'm retiring.

I'm giving up all that adrenaline rush.

I'm giving all that identity, that social salient self.

It's almost as a lot of athletes will describe it.

It's like a death within you, you know, to give up that part of your life that was so significant can be very traumatic.

A hundred percent.