Madrid Open 2012: Roger Federer and Serena Williams Prove Experience Trumps Age
Who says tennis is a young person’s sport?
If the past week has taught us anything in the world of tennis, it’s that the titans of the sport aren’t going away quietly. Is 30 the new 20?
Roger Federer fended off Tomas Berdych, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, in a gusty performance to win the Madrid Open over the weekend. After both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal blamed their exits on the new blue-clay court surface, Federer was able to overcome the unique court to gut out one of his most impressive wins in the last two years. Federer won because of his mental toughness and supreme confidence despite getting put on the ropes early.
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At the age of 30, tennis experts were ripping him left and right throughout 2011, as he failed to win one of the four Grand Slams in the calendar year for the first time since 2002. Now, he has won four titles in 2012 and is entering the meat of the schedule in far better shape than his two main rivals. He’ll also likely be arriving at the French Open as the No. 2 seed.
Not to be outdone by her male “grandpa” counterpart, Serena Williams looked better than she has been in two years with her punishing 6-1, 6-3 win over top-ranked Vicoria Azarenka.
Williams won the first four games and never looked back on her way to 14 aces. It was her 41st career title and second of the season. She has now won her last 13 matches on clay surfaces. Speaking of clay surfaces, the French Open is now only two weeks away, and Serena has to be considered a favorite.
After dealing with the crippling effects of stepping on a piece of glass and attempting to play despite being out-of-shape, finally it seems like everything is coming together for her. An aging body has never her issue; it was a lack of focus and injuries that were the true culprit for her struggles.
Now that Williams is healthy and motivated, she will likely be the favorite to hoist the trophy at Rolland Garros. The young players that littered the top of the world rankings are all question marks when it comes to the Grand Slams.
While the young guns of the sport like Djokovic, Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki are certainly going to be tough competition, at the age of 30, both Federer and Williams are going to be serious contenders to capture a minimum of one Grand Slam this season.
It looks like 2012 is going to be the year of the throwback.
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