Just wanted to add to my post above, there's 34 players in top 104, which is the line of a direct entry to all main draw of the Slams, are all 30 years old or more and numbers will go up as few of those players who is 29 years old will turn 30 by the end of the year. That stats is almost 1/3 of the field in the main draw excluding the qualifiers and that's where Federer, Nadal can have a few matches drawn up to them and they faced before and still win their matches is due to R1 prize money for all of veterans to continue making money by winning a few matches in smaller events to maintain their direct entry to the Slams is also the factor of Federer drawing players like those to maintain their aura around them when it wasn't a factor 10 years ago. Roddick retired too early and could have keep on playing and continue to make money by simply direct entry if he is top 100 or even in top 30. Those veterans cannot afford to take a week off while Federer can afford to take months off and not hurt his chance on winning championships. If Federer played a whole clay season, he would not be a contender for any of Slams. Something to ponder every little details. Those numbers did not exist in all Slams 10 years ago. Time to change the points system given to players including bonus points to ensure that players going past 30 working hard to keep their place in top 100 for DE into the Slams. With that they continue to make money, 120k a year just to play R1 of Slams.
