In modern times, no man or woman has made a major sporting title their own as much as Rafael Nadal

The man from Majorca has won the French Open 12 times, which is unprecedented. Napoleon might have conquered Spain, but there is no doubt that Nadal has conquered Paris. It appears that Nadal, and his great rival Swiss player Roger Federer are showing no sign of growing old. The relative ease with which Nadal swatted aside all his rivals at the tennis courts this past fortnight belied the fact that Nadal (33) is not the vibrant young player he was at 19, when he won his first title. Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic would have in a previous era been past their

sell-by dates, yet they have dominated men’s tennis for over a decade and a half. This is the era of the veteran sportsperson, in women’s tennis for example, Serena Williams continues to swat aside younger players half her age. In cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot hide his grey hair but can you imagine India playing at the World Cup without him? While Indians may not watch American football, the greatest player in that sport, the quarterback Tom Brady, is playing as well at the age of 40 as he did 20 years back and his team the New England Patriots are reigning champions.

It isn’t as if old players haven’t played sports at the highest level in the past, but in today’s high intensity game, one wonders out aloud how players who would have been considered past their prime and in Nadal’s case, one with a busted knee, can keep winning. One reason is that sports injury treatment and physiotherapy has improved dramatically. Exercise and diet routines are keeping people fitter for longer. It is for that reason that the saying ‘40 is the new 30’ is a truism. Of course, an old dog like this writer can also draw a conclusion that the younger generation, the so-called millennials have been so pampered that they cannot put up with the tougher, more competitive nature of their predecessors. But even players like Nadal and Federer cannot keep defeating Father Time and must one day succumb. The time of the next generation will come, but as long as Djokovic, Federer and Nadal keep playing, men’s tennis is still an old mans game although you wouldn’t say that if you watched these champions. And if you haven’t watched them play live, do know that there is only a few more years to do just that.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer

In modern times, no man or woman has made a major sporting title their own as much as Rafael Nadal

The man from Majorca has won the French Open 12 times, which is unprecedented. Napoleon might have conquered Spain, but there is no doubt that Nadal has conquered Paris. It appears that Nadal, and his great rival Swiss player Roger Federer are showing no sign of growing old. The relative ease with which Nadal swatted aside all his rivals at the tennis courts this past fortnight belied the fact that Nadal (33) is not the vibrant young player he was at 19, when he won his first title. Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic would have in a previous era been past their

sell-by dates, yet they have dominated men’s tennis for over a decade and a half. This is the era of the veteran sportsperson, in women’s tennis for example, Serena Williams continues to swat aside younger players half her age. In cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni cannot hide his grey hair but can you imagine India playing at the World Cup without him? While Indians may not watch American football, the greatest player in that sport, the quarterback Tom Brady, is playing as well at the age of 40 as he did 20 years back and his team the New England Patriots are reigning champions.

It isn’t as if old players haven’t played sports at the highest level in the past, but in today’s high intensity game, one wonders out aloud how players who would have been considered past their prime and in Nadal’s case, one with a busted knee, can keep winning. One reason is that sports injury treatment and physiotherapy has improved dramatically. Exercise and diet routines are keeping people fitter for longer. It is for that reason that the saying ‘40 is the new 30’ is a truism. Of course, an old dog like this writer can also draw a conclusion that the younger generation, the so-called millennials have been so pampered that they cannot put up with the tougher, more competitive nature of their predecessors. But even players like Nadal and Federer cannot keep defeating Father Time and must one day succumb. The time of the next generation will come, but as long as Djokovic, Federer and Nadal keep playing, men’s tennis is still an old mans game although you wouldn’t say that if you watched these champions. And if you haven’t watched them play live, do know that there is only a few more years to do just that.

Writer: Pioneer

Courtesy: The Pioneer