zvelf
Hall of Fame
It used to be that tennis players started experiencing steep declines around age 30, but lately tennis is seeing a lot of players perform well deeper into their 30s. I don't know if it's healthier diets, improved exercise routines, better equipment, or a combination of all of the above, but take a look at the top 10 men: #1 Djokovic is 28, #2 Murray is 28, #3 Federer is 34, #4 Stan Wawrinka is almost 31, #5 Nadal is 29, #6 Tomas Berdych is 30, #8 David Ferrer is almost 34, #9 Richard Gasquet is 29, and #10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is almost 31. At 28 years and 8 months, Djokovic is actually the youngest player in the top 10 other than #7 Kei Nishikori. That's bizarre.
Among these players, Nadal at 29 is the only one who's seen a big decline, but given his very physical style of running down everything, it makes sense that style would be difficult to sustain. If Djokovic follows the trend of Lendl and Sampras, he has about 1.5 years of his best tennis left. If Djokovic follows the Federer/Ferrer/Wawrinka trend, he could have 4 years of strong tennis left. That could easily be the difference between 3 and 7 majors or the difference of whether he can pass Federer. My own expectation is that Djokovic will win 1 more major after 2017.
This phenomenon is also happening on the women's side. Serena dominated the WTA tour last year at age 33. The 2015 U.S. Open final featured a 33-year old Pennetta beating a 32-year old Vinci. Schiavone of all people won the French Open 2 weeks before she turned 30. Li Na won the Australian Open just shy of turning 32. Players are blooming later and playing better later.
Among these players, Nadal at 29 is the only one who's seen a big decline, but given his very physical style of running down everything, it makes sense that style would be difficult to sustain. If Djokovic follows the trend of Lendl and Sampras, he has about 1.5 years of his best tennis left. If Djokovic follows the Federer/Ferrer/Wawrinka trend, he could have 4 years of strong tennis left. That could easily be the difference between 3 and 7 majors or the difference of whether he can pass Federer. My own expectation is that Djokovic will win 1 more major after 2017.
This phenomenon is also happening on the women's side. Serena dominated the WTA tour last year at age 33. The 2015 U.S. Open final featured a 33-year old Pennetta beating a 32-year old Vinci. Schiavone of all people won the French Open 2 weeks before she turned 30. Li Na won the Australian Open just shy of turning 32. Players are blooming later and playing better later.
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