Aging 30 plus but still amongst the Top-100 players list – Tennis Special (Part-I)
Tennis is a sport that usually witnesses the start from the early 20’s, a peak in the mid 20’s and a downfall after the age of 30.
However, exceptions always exist and we will be commenting on the performances of those extraordinary players who have shown immense skill and stamina levels above the age of 30 or plus. It will be an entertaining journey for the readers for sure.
Some players just go with the flow and routine but a few dominates for a long period of time. In the Women Tennis Association (WTA) rankings, there is a group of players who has defied the law of age 30 and managed to stay amongst the Top-100 list despite
entering the fourth decade of their life.
We are going to discuss those 11 players and their achievements in their life span but before that, let’s have a look at the catalogue of number of players aging above 30-years and still ending a particular year amongst Top-100 contenders in the world since
1975.
Year
Number of Players
Year
Number of Players
Year
Number of Players
1975
11
1988
3
2001
2
1976
11
1989
6
2002
8
1977
14
1990
6
2003
8
1978
16
1991
4
2004
8
1979
9
1992
5
2005
10
1980
11
1993
4
2006
8
1981
10
1994
5
2007
9
1982
9
1995
6
2008
6
1983
5
1996
5
2009
5
1984
5
1997
4
2010
7
1985
5
1998
5
2011
7
1986
7
1999
1
2012
11
1987
6
2000
2
The list is probably fluctuating around single figures especially from 1982 onwards. However, the current season is amongst the only two exceptions that witnessed a double figure of above 30-age players currently playing several tours. The other year that
witnessed a similar scenario was 2005; featuring 10 30+ aged active players.
We will begin with the lowest ranked above 30-age Top-100 player.
Eleni Daniilidou
She is ranked exactly at the 100th spot by the end of the calendar year 2012. However, she has enjoyed a successful run in the early years of the 21st century; moving up as far as the 14th rank in the world in 2003.
Daniilidou, the 30-year-old professional, belongs to Greece and has been in the field of pro tennis for 12 years; winning five singles WTA titles in her entire career. She might not have enjoyed the supremacy at the elite level like her fellow players but
her consistency to retain her position amongst the Top-100 lot is itself an achievement. She has also won three WTA double titles as well and gathered around $2,700,000 prize money in total.
The overall record for the Grecian superstar is 435-322. She has been quite consistent throughout her career winning around half of her matches in a year. However, the current season yielded a very depressing stat of 28-35 which is probably due to the fact
that she has lost a lot of stamina over the course of years.
To be continued...
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