This situation reminds me of the Kobe interview with Patrick Bet David, which was very enlightening about what it takes to be the best player in your sport.
Kobe said, that no matter what you cant please your friends and family and to be the best means sacrificing those relationships, those who love you, will be there for you, those who do not understand wont. You will never get the time back.
He said some of his teammates would take vacations together, and he never did that, because he did not want to look back on his career and say, I could of trained harder, I could of taken those two weeks to be better.
He also said that a lot of players were doing it for the money, not to be the best, once the money came, the intensity and commitment was never the same as when they were hungry. He would tell them, don’t pretend to be at my level, because you are not, your dedication is not the same as mine. Many teammates thought he was arrogant and crazy, but that did not phase him…. His legacy would have the last laugh.
Not saying this is true about AM, but I also don’t honestly know, since I don’t know the guy. He has to decide what he wants to give up to be the best, and if its worth it to him. Some people don’t mind being 85% and they feel that the extra 15% is not worth the sacrifices they make…. Others are willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get as near as they can to 99.9%.... however to do that the sacrifice is huge amongst your family and friends, and vacation time.
However, a sporting career only lasts for a short time in comparison to the rest of your life, and those regrets may end up weighing on you when you look back at what you could of been.