There’s no denying that tennis nowadays is very different from what we typically associate with the classic idea of the game.
– US Open: Novak Djokovic claims 10th major title
– IPTL: Federer vs Djokovic showdown highlight of Dubai leg
– VIDEO: Pennetta reflects on winning her first Grand Slam
The surfaces are slower, rallies are longer, racquets are lighter, courts have Hawk-Eye, players share tweets, competitors are fitter and champions are notably older.
Three of the four US Open men’s and women’s singles finalists are 32 and above, and almost every tournament that comes by breaks a record or two in the age department.
Serena Williams is the oldest female world No1, Flavia Pennetta is the oldest first-time grand slam champion, Roger Federer is the oldest Wimbledon champion in 41 years… the list goes on and on.
Many see this is as a cause for concern regarding the future of the sport, considering there aren’t that many youngsters breaking through in a major way, while others feel that a tour dominated by veterans makes for repetitive storylines and boring scenarios.
But after witnessing the stunning runs of Italian duo Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci at the US Open, even the strongest of critics must realise how inspiring tennis is at the moment.
Tennis has had its fair share of teenage fairytales. Martina Hingis, Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, Michael Chang… even Serena Williams. They all won their first majors aged 18 or less.
The sight of a teenager freaking out on a tennis court after winning a grand slam has been a familiar one and it has undoubtedly led thousands of youngsters to pick up a tennis racquet and dare to dream.
But what about what Pennetta and Vinci just did or what Serena and Venus Williams continue to accomplish? And what about Federer who is standing firmly as the second best player on the planet at the age of 34?
People like Hingis and Becker may have inspired young generations but it’s fair to say that the current veterans of the game are inspiring everyone no matter the age bracket.
Pennetta winning her first major at 33 – just in the nick of time before retiring from the sport – and Serena ruling the game and winning four slams in a row right before she turns 34, is giving millions of people the feeling that they could really accomplish anything at any age, not just on a tennis court but in any chosen career.
If Federer can get fitter and better in his mid-30s then why can’t we all strive to do more as we get older?
Per WTA: Hingis is the third active player to hit 20 major titles (singles, doubles, mixed doubles) – Serena has 36, Venus has 22.
— Tennis View Magazine (@TennisViewMag) September 13, 2015
We hear the phrase ‘it’s never too late’ quite often but it’s much more effective when we get to see it embodied in real life. Hingis once dumped her doubles partner Jana Novotna calling her “too old and too slow” when the latter had gone north of 30. Such a statement could never stand in today’s version of tennis. The 30-year-olds are putting everyone to shame.
That’s not to say having young champions in tennis is a bad thing but the older ones at the top are setting better examples in every way.
For every wild Nick Kyrgios and anti-handshaking Eugenie Bouchard, there are people like Pennetta and Vinci who shared a bench together after the former beat the latter in the US Open final, showing the world that friendship and respect can still reign in sport. There is a model competitor like Federer and an ever-evolving Serena. A tireless David Ferrer and a humble Rafael Nadal. Yes tennis is ageing but at the moment, that is a blessing not a curse.
