I. Put each verb in brackets into a suitable tense.
When you hear the final whistle
One of the hardest things for any sportsperson is to know when to retire. [pic] (1-retire/you) at your physical ‘peak’ or [pic] (2-you/wait) until your body (or your coach) [pic] (3-tell) you that it’s time to go? But even harder is finding the answer to the question ‘What [pic] (4-do/I) with the rest of my life?’
According to Ian Cockerill, a sports psychologist, retirement for people in general is traumatic. ‘There’s a high risk of depression and people [pic] (5-find/often) adjusting to a new way of life difficult. For sportspeople, there’s an extra trauma – the loss of status and recognition.’ That’s why some sportspeople [pic] (6-go on)playing too long. They just [pic] (7-not/can stand) life without the ‘high’ of playing professional sport. Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of all times, [pic] (8- retire) three times. A few years after he [pic] (9- retreat) from the Chicago Bulls, [pic] (10- make) a successful comeback with the same team, then [pic] (11- retire) again. His second comeback with an inferior team [pic] (12- fail) and he [pic] (13- leave) professional sport for ever at the age of 38. Jordan said, ‘I’m sure that in the future there [pic] (14- be/ never) anything I do that [pic] (15- fulfil) me as much as competing did.’
For other sportspeople, the pain of saying goodbye [pic] (16- leave/ never) them. According to Jimmy Greaves, an ex-England international footballer, ‘A lot of players [pic] (17- prefer) to be shot once their career’s over.’ Many of them [pic] (18- spend) their retirement in a continuous battle against depression, alcohol and drugs.
But for the lucky few, retirement can mean a successful new career. Franz Beckenbauer is a classic example of a footballer who [pic] (19- win) everything with his club, Bayern Munich. After retiring he [pic] (20- become) a successful coach with Bayern and finally President of the