“I always have stuff to do” – When Michael Phelps opened up about retiring before 30

Michael Phelps, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist, is often said to be the greatest swimmer of all time. He is the man who broke Mark Spitz's record for most golds in a single Olympic event.

The Wall Street Journal's YouTube channel posted a video of Phelps, where he's seen talking about retiring before 30 years of age. When asked about his life and the challenges he has faced in the last 20 years, Phelps said,

"I always have stuff to do. But if I'm at home, I pretty much wake up, and get a cup of coffee, have some breakfast, watching TV lately. I haven't been working out that much."

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Michael Phelps talks about his retirement and further endeavors

In a video posted by the Wall Street Journal nine years ago, the 28-time Olympic medalist was seen talking about life after retirement. Phelps was 27 years old when he first retired from competitive swimming.

When asked if his mother was still pushing him back into the water, he replied and added up by speaking about what the future holds for him:

"She knows there's no way of me getting back. And I'm happy with it, you know, I'm in a good place. I'm very happy with my career and we got another challenge in the Golf. And still trying to expand with my swim schools, trying to teach more kids to be water-safe. We have a lot going on."

Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Michael Phelps was then asked if he was going to pursue a career in philanthropy or business. He said that he had no idea:

"I don't know. I literally have [no idea]. Ever since I retired, I've lived one day at a time. And I'm enjoying life right now."

Later on, he was asked if he was feeling the pressure to excel further in his career, to which he replied:

"There are goals that I still have, where for a lot of things, you know, even though I'm not in the sport anymore, I guess in the competitive side, I still want to continue to grow the sport."

Phelps at the 2016 Rio Olympics

He initially retired from swimming after the 2012 London Olympics. However, he came out of retirement in 2014 to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he won five golds and one silver.

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The Michael Phelps Foundation

Phelps set up the Michael Phelps Foundation with the $1 million Speedo advance bonus he received during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2010, the 'Im' program for members of Boys and Girls Clubs was created.

It was nationally launched by the foundation, the Michael Phelps Swim School, and KidsHealth.org. The 'Im' program emphasized swimming as a sport while teaching kids the value of being active and healthy.

The Michael Phelps Foundation Golf Classic is the biggest fundraiser for the organization. Following his first retirement after the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Phelps announced that he wished to collaborate more with his foundation.