Ott Tänak on retiring from top-level sport: life is completely different now

Rally champion Ott Tänak discussed his retirement from top-level sport and the accompanying changes to his everyday life on the television programme "Morning with Anu". Tänak admitted that it was difficult to imagine what a new life without pressure and stress would look like.

Estonian rally legend Ott Tänak revealed on the television programme "Morning with Anu" that stepping away from top-level sport has brought unexpected changes to his life. The man who spent years living under constant pressure and stress now has to adapt to a completely different lifestyle.

"It was difficult to imagine what would happen and what my body would tell me — I've lived a high-pressure, stressful life for a very long time and somehow got used to it," Tänak admitted during the show. The champion athlete's life has meant years of constant travel, training and competitive pressure, which is why a calmer everyday routine is a new experience.

Tänak noted that every morning when he wakes up at home in his own bed there is a certain routine — something he had never experienced before. For a top athlete who spent much of his life in hotel rooms and at competition venues, a home routine is a kind of novelty.

Ott Tänak is one of the most successful Estonians in the sporting world. He won the world championship title in rallying in 2019 and has been one of the leading names in the WRC series for a long time. His decision to step away from top-level sport marks the end of one chapter in Estonian sporting history.