DariusRaiden
Rookie
First of all, I realize that this discussion has happened before, but I was hoping to shed some more light on the topic by having a multi-faceted discussion. Positive and helpful responses are appreciated.
First point about age decline in tennis: Yes, the offseason is non-existent. Is this the main contributor for tennis players "falling off" in their late twenties and barely competing in their thirties? Or is it simply a fact that tennis players do not work as hard on fitness as athletes in other sports, particularly American team sports.
Do athletes truly begin an unstoppable physical decline in their twenties, or is this more of a motivational question? Many players like Sampras and Bruguera have commented that at about 30 they could just feel that they were done, and Muster commented in similar fashion despite having his most productive years later in his career.
For a point of comparison, take NFL athletes. At the Wide Reciever position, let's examine Terrell Owens and Donald Driver, players who have had arguably their best years in their thirties, 34 and 32, respectively. TO had possibly his best year this year, being voted all-pro and pro-bowl at age 34. Nobody even knew who Donald Driver was until he was around 30, and was voted pro-bowl this year and all-pro last year at age 31. Both of these players had prime years at an age where common wisdom says that they should be declining. Is this the result of superior work ethic (Driver in particular is known for his intense offseason training), a healthy offseason, physical athletic anomalies, or a combination of the three?
At other positions, such as Running Back, Fred Taylor had his best year this year at age 32. In other sports, Michael Jordan played superbly later in his career (not playing for the Bulls) and might have been even better if his teammates had picked up some slack. Zinedine Zidane played well into his 30s and got France into a World Cup Final.
I understand that recovery is an issue and that tennis provides far less time for this both between matches and between seasons, but is total fitness holding players back? When I see someone like Mardy Fish win matches at the top level with close to zero fitness, I wonder if similarly talented but unmotivated players could play into their 30s if they dedicated themselves more. Am I going crazy, or should more players have a post-30 career like Agassi? Thanks for your thoughts!
PS- did anybody see the recent Reuters article on fitness? People who spend 3 hours per week working out intensely are about 9 years biologically (on a DNA level!) younger than average, and this appears to be linear, ie, those who spend 1.5 hours per week working out were 4.5 years biologically younger, etc. Quite simply, intense workouts actually turn back the clock and reverse the aging process! By this standard, dialing up workouts later in life could actually make you younger.
First point about age decline in tennis: Yes, the offseason is non-existent. Is this the main contributor for tennis players "falling off" in their late twenties and barely competing in their thirties? Or is it simply a fact that tennis players do not work as hard on fitness as athletes in other sports, particularly American team sports.
Do athletes truly begin an unstoppable physical decline in their twenties, or is this more of a motivational question? Many players like Sampras and Bruguera have commented that at about 30 they could just feel that they were done, and Muster commented in similar fashion despite having his most productive years later in his career.
For a point of comparison, take NFL athletes. At the Wide Reciever position, let's examine Terrell Owens and Donald Driver, players who have had arguably their best years in their thirties, 34 and 32, respectively. TO had possibly his best year this year, being voted all-pro and pro-bowl at age 34. Nobody even knew who Donald Driver was until he was around 30, and was voted pro-bowl this year and all-pro last year at age 31. Both of these players had prime years at an age where common wisdom says that they should be declining. Is this the result of superior work ethic (Driver in particular is known for his intense offseason training), a healthy offseason, physical athletic anomalies, or a combination of the three?
At other positions, such as Running Back, Fred Taylor had his best year this year at age 32. In other sports, Michael Jordan played superbly later in his career (not playing for the Bulls) and might have been even better if his teammates had picked up some slack. Zinedine Zidane played well into his 30s and got France into a World Cup Final.
I understand that recovery is an issue and that tennis provides far less time for this both between matches and between seasons, but is total fitness holding players back? When I see someone like Mardy Fish win matches at the top level with close to zero fitness, I wonder if similarly talented but unmotivated players could play into their 30s if they dedicated themselves more. Am I going crazy, or should more players have a post-30 career like Agassi? Thanks for your thoughts!
PS- did anybody see the recent Reuters article on fitness? People who spend 3 hours per week working out intensely are about 9 years biologically (on a DNA level!) younger than average, and this appears to be linear, ie, those who spend 1.5 hours per week working out were 4.5 years biologically younger, etc. Quite simply, intense workouts actually turn back the clock and reverse the aging process! By this standard, dialing up workouts later in life could actually make you younger.
