Just stay in retirement: writes Rebecca Wilson Pat Rafter play in a doubles match at the Australian Open. IF I could adopt Pat Rafter or Brad Fittler, I would. The two of them sit right on top of the all time legends ladder of Australia, both of them true champions and seriously good men. Rafter has endeared himself to a generation of fans with his modesty and dry wit. He represents all that was great about tennis in this country - a boy from the Queensland bush who competed with the best in the world and beat them. Appearing in underwear commercials hasn't hurt his sex appeal either. Then there is Brad Fittler, the superstar rugby league five eighth whose prodigious skill and incredible resilience made him the favourite son of the New South Wales Blues. My memories of Fittler are of a teenager from the west of Sydney who was one of the youngest first grade debutants in rugby league history. He stayed at the top of his game for more than 15 years, eventually moving east of Anzac Parade to the silvertails at the Roosters. He remains that club's most popular player of all time. The decision by the two 40-somethings to make mini-comebacks is one that has attracted big headlines and very little genuine scrutiny. We all love Pat and Freddy so much that it is hard to be tough on them. Let the boys have some fun, most would say, and nobody will be the poorer for it. Lleyton Hewitt and Pat Rafter play their doubles match. Having watched Rafter in his doubles match with Lleyton Hewitt at the Australian Open, I would strongly advise anyone who missed it not to seek out the replay. Rafter is in great shape for a nearly middle aged bloke, but he embarrassed himself on centre court, constantly missing easy shots and chastising himself for being so out of touch. For those of us who will never forget his gutsy, incredible wins at the US Open, Pat being exposed in Rod Laver arena was akin to him being caught with his Bonds around his ankles. Fittler's comeback in the Auckland Nines tournament next month promises to deliver the organisers a great bums on seats result. He still has the pulling power of an athlete in his prime. The big BUT is that Freddy, at the age of 42, will not be a patch on the player that he was. He might be supremely fit for his age, but the Fittler we care to remember was so skilful and athletic that he can't possibly ever hope to match it a decade into his retirement. Why, then, do athletes like these two choose to try it all again when they left their adoring public wanting more when they graciously retired more than a decade ago? Mike Hussey and Brett Lee had ceremonious farewells from cricket but continue to pop up in the Big Bash with varying degrees of success. Both men have served their country well, but they are in danger of crossing that line which blurs the cherished memories. The timing of an athlete's retirement is one that defines the quality of the competitor as much as what he or she has achieved throughout their careers. Rafter and Fittler bowed out at exactly the right time - we adored them, we were saddened by their departure and there was no hint that either of them stayed around for one season too many. They have both gone on to make good livings and become mentors to young players. They were, and remain, idols. So why muddy the waters with comebacks, albeit small ones, that tarnish the memories? Brad Fittler watched the game from the bench. Athletes are weird beasts. The weekly adrenalin rush of competition becomes an addiction and one that is hard to relinquish. The most grown up champion can bow out with no regrets and then the reality of retirement hits. Fittler and Rafter have maintained their ties to their sports, offering coaching and mentoring to younger athletes coming through. They obviously never really got the whole thing out of their systems. From the sidelines, they wanted to taste what it was like to compete again. Today, they both need to know that we haven't forgotten them, we don't need to see them as shadows of their best to remember the great times and that we are quite happy to watch them endorsing underpants. The sad fact is that blokes with grey hair are never going to cut it alongside kids barely out of their teens whose ambition you can almost smell. Exquisite timing was something both men possessed in their prime. The trick for athletes like them in retirement is to sit on your aging hands, watch the occasional replay of yourself at your peak and cherish the great memories. My grandfather always used to say: "Never retrace your steps." Pat, Freddy, Mike and Brett might like to remember that when next they consider crossing the white line again.