A professional Duty player has been forced to retire at the age of 25 due to thumb injury, saying it ‘breaks’ his heart to have to to walk away from the game.
Thomas ‘ZooMaa‘ Paparatto announced he should step down from the esports scene in an emotional Twitter statement, explaining that playing the pain “ just isn’t possible anymore. ”
T.he 25-year-old New York Subliners player wrote: “I am stepping down and will no longer participate in competitive Call of Duty in the near future.
“I’m not sure many of you remember but a few years ago phases, I was struggling with weakness in my thumb / wrist and needed surgery.
“That process of getting back to health was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do, both physically and mentally, leading to a lot of stress and anxiety.
“Unfortunately the injury has returned, making it very difficult for me to compete at the highest level against some of the best players in the world. Playing the weakness and pain in my hand is simply not possible anymore.
“I don’t enjoy competitions when I don’t have the ZooMaa everyone knows, loves and feels like it’s not fair to me or my team to have to go through all of that again, potentially damaging my hand even more.“
a month agoPaparatto said he has met ‘so many wonderful people’ through esports and made friendships that he will ‘cherish’ for the rest of his life.
He continued: “It breaks my heart to step away from a game that I put my heart and soul into every day for eight years. Just writing this, but I don’t know what else to do at this point.
“It’s been a great run … I don’t regret anything and am grateful to have a play for a long time career doing what I love to do at such a high level. “
Thank fans, friends, family and ‘past and present teammates’ for their support, Paparatto added: “I’m not sure what the future holds and will explore all options as I love this game too much to walk away completely. I think of it as one door that closes and another that opens.“
Many other gamers have responded to Paparatto’s heartbreaking message to wish him all the best for the future CoD World Champion Attach says, “This was a hard read. I’m so sorry this happened, Duo. I know you’re going to crush it in whatever you decide to do next. It was an honor to work with you and make so many memories. If you ever need anything I’ll always be there for your brother. “
Team Envy’s Bradley ‘aPG’ laws also wrote, “Terrible to hear, but I wish you the best in what’s to come and a speedy recovery.”