Fit and 30 sets new benchmark for men in Paris
Source: AFP |
June 5, 2013, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THEY may be in the twilight of their careers, but Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Tommy Haas have ensured that for the first time since 1969, four men over 30 are in the French Open last eight.
Haas, at 35 years and 67 days, is the oldest man in the quarterfinals of a grand slam since Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open.
"It may look like a miracle to many people, but I was born in 1978 and there's nothing I can do about it," said German star Haas, playing in a 52nd grand slam tournament, a figure bettered only by Federer and Lleyton Hewitt amongst active players.
The appearance of four men over 30 in all grand slams is rare - the last time it happened in any major was the US Open in 1982.
This year, at Roland Garros, it's happened when a host of highly-rated players, still in their 20s, were expected to shine but the likes of Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Bernard Tomic, Kei Nishikori and Jerzy Jankowicz failed to get beyond the fourth round.
"I think we all just are smarter about how we train, about how we eat, about how we do recovery," said Haas, a former world No. 2 who has rebuilt his career after a series of devastating injuries.
Federer, Ferrer and Robredo are all 31 and Robredo, who was down at 471 in the world 12 months ago following leg surgery, believes training, fitness and dedication are crucial elements to a player's longevity.
He is the first man since Henri Cochet at Wimbledon in 1927 to reach the quarterfinals of a major by winning three successive matches from two sets to love down.
"I have never been as strong physically as I am today," said the Spaniard.
Switzerland's Federer, meanwhile, with his 32nd birthday approaching in August, is already playing a reduced schedule and has made a 36th consecutive grand slam quarterfinal.
"You need times where we need to work out a lot, where you cannot go chase the money, the tournaments, the red carpet events," said Federer.
Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, conducted a study which showed that today it takes on average 4.5 years for a player to break into the top 100 against 2.6 years in 1990.
"It's much more competitive and more difficult for the younger players to make a breakthrough than six, seven, eight years ago when I was coming up," said world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Haas, at 35 years and 67 days, is the oldest man in the quarterfinals of a grand slam since Andre Agassi at the 2005 US Open.
"It may look like a miracle to many people, but I was born in 1978 and there's nothing I can do about it," said German star Haas, playing in a 52nd grand slam tournament, a figure bettered only by Federer and Lleyton Hewitt amongst active players.
The appearance of four men over 30 in all grand slams is rare - the last time it happened in any major was the US Open in 1982.
This year, at Roland Garros, it's happened when a host of highly-rated players, still in their 20s, were expected to shine but the likes of Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Bernard Tomic, Kei Nishikori and Jerzy Jankowicz failed to get beyond the fourth round.
"I think we all just are smarter about how we train, about how we eat, about how we do recovery," said Haas, a former world No. 2 who has rebuilt his career after a series of devastating injuries.
Federer, Ferrer and Robredo are all 31 and Robredo, who was down at 471 in the world 12 months ago following leg surgery, believes training, fitness and dedication are crucial elements to a player's longevity.
He is the first man since Henri Cochet at Wimbledon in 1927 to reach the quarterfinals of a major by winning three successive matches from two sets to love down.
"I have never been as strong physically as I am today," said the Spaniard.
Switzerland's Federer, meanwhile, with his 32nd birthday approaching in August, is already playing a reduced schedule and has made a 36th consecutive grand slam quarterfinal.
"You need times where we need to work out a lot, where you cannot go chase the money, the tournaments, the red carpet events," said Federer.
Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director, conducted a study which showed that today it takes on average 4.5 years for a player to break into the top 100 against 2.6 years in 1990.
"It's much more competitive and more difficult for the younger players to make a breakthrough than six, seven, eight years ago when I was coming up," said world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
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