Tennis After Forty – For the Love of the Game

Last updated on March 31st, 2022

In professional tennis, players like Ashleigh Barty are a rarity. Her decision to retire at twenty-five, while ranked world number one, puts things in perspective for active professional athletes who are past their prime.

Former number-one players Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams are now ranked 26^th, 240^th, and 467^th in the world. They have been playing professional tennis for over twenty-five years and are still listed as active. They are over forty.

It makes you wonder why they do it.

For the likes of Roger Federer and the Williams sisters, it can’t be the money. Their prize money and sponsorship earnings would put them at levels beyond most sports professionals.

It can’t be the glory either. They have plenty of that too.

It’s got to be the belief that they have it in them to pull it off one more time.

And, perhaps, the love of the game.

Not unlike club players, past their prime.

Tennis after forty is more about the love of the game than winning. However, it takes a while for players on the wrong side of forty to accept it. Holding your own against peers your age does not cut it. It is the Carlos Alcarazs of the club who will show you up.

In a sense, it is every athlete’s story — professional and club-level.

Eight-time NBA All-Star, Vince Carter, was a bench player towards the end of his career.

Over time, your competitive edge wanes. Footwork and reflexes get slower. Frustratingly, unforced errors creep in. Athletic tape and compression socks become part of the racquet bag. Your mind says you can do it, but the body doesn’t cooperate. After a close five-setter of squash, a walk up the stairs feels like a CN Tower stair climb.

Experience is an advantage in sports, only if the body can keep up. It is no wonder that professional tennis and squash players have a relatively short shelf life. At forty, most of them are off pursuing second careers.

So, if you are past your prime and still playing squash or tennis, you ought to pat yourself on the back. You are, hopefully, in it for the love of the game.

Injuries take their toll.

It happens to the best of us. Federer has undergone three knee surgeries. Serena Williams has taken time off from tournaments due to a hamstring injury and has yet to declare any return-to-tournament intentions. Younger players are not immune from injuries either. However, their recovery timeframes are typically shorter. Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, Bianca Andreescu, and Kei Nishikori are exceptions.

Unlike football, hockey, and basketball, squash and tennis are not contact sports. However, the twists and lunges of squash and the repetitive movements and power of tennis take their toll on the players’ bodies.

It is hard to categorically state that tennis is harder on the body than squash or vice versa. Players who play both games will admit that the injuries from the two games tend to be different.

If you exclude unexpected injuries such as sprains, squash players typically end up with lower-body injuries — knees, ankles, and the lower back. The large proportion of squash players with knee braces and ankle supports is a testament.

With all the topspin groundstrokes, serves, and overhead smashes, tennis players’ wrists, elbows, and shoulders take a sound beating. The importance of the knees in tennis serve may not be evident to non-tennis players.

Unlike professional players, club players often disregard the importance of warm-up routines and fitness. Tennis die-hards will tell you that you don’t play tennis to stay fit; you stay fit to play tennis. While the desire to maintain your form by playing as often as possible is understandable, the strength, endurance, and stability required to stay uninjured can only be developed off the court.

The sprains and hyperextensions aside, going from a cold start to a super high heart rate in a very short duration of time could have other implications for your health. You don’t want to spend more time watching the game than playing it. Here are a few sensible things to do to avoid injuries on the court.

There may be more reasons to play tennis after forty than the love of the game. A study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a monthly medical journal sponsored by the venerable Mayo Clinic, explored the correlation between physical activity and life expectancy. Over 25 years, the study followed 8577 participants and found that tennis extends a person’s life expectancy by 9.7 years.

So, go ahead, play tennis, and live longer. Just temper your expectations about winning.