High-profile tennis exits in the next few years
It’s a sad fact, but it’s true, the current cycle of professional tennis players is getting old. Within the next five years or less, we can expect some grand retirements from players, who once defined the court with their games.
However, they will leave, and it will probably be soon. Here are a few Grand Slam winning-champions expected to leave the sport in the hands of the younger players soon.
Venus Williams: while she has had a long and successful run on the WTA tour, her time is almost up. Venus Williams, for example, turned 30 this year and has also been forced to undergo knee surgery in 2010, after the US Open.
Although she put up a great show at the Majors this year, earning herself two quarter-finals and one semi-final, it is doubtful that she will be able to keep this up for much longer.
For many fans and critics, the face of the WTA without Venus and her little sister Serena is unimaginable. However, Venus Williams has always enjoyed a certain level of drama in her professional career, and will probably let the public know about her possible
plans to retire in time for there to be a suitably long farewell tour.
Andy Roddick: while not entirely unexpected, this will come as a huge disappointment to the many fans Roddick has amassed for himself over the years of his career.
To many critics, it appears as if Roddick has not fully cashed in on his career. He had the potential to win many Grand Slams, but the only one he triumphed at was the 2003 US Open, where he seized the title against Juan Carlos Ferrero.
However, at every Grand Slam final after that one, Roger Federer has thwarted his attempts to win more titles at the Majors. He has so far been beaten at three Wimbledon finals and one US Open final by the Maestro.
Most recently, in a match, which broke the hearts of many players, Federer thrashed Andy in the 2009 Wimbledon final with a 16-14 score line in the last set. Roddick has already promised the world that he does not intend to keep playing if he cannot maintain
a high ranking.
However, he is still in the top 10 and has qualified for the 2010 World Tour Finals for the eighth consecutive time. If spectators are lucky, Roddick will be around for a few more years.
Lleyton Hewitt: once the World Number 1 player, Hewitt’s career has been shot with multiple injuries. His main problem is that his career peaked and maxed out when he was still the youngest man to ever be ranked the highest player in the
World at age of 20.
That same year, he picked up two of his careers most important titles, his first Slam at the US Open, and the World Tour Finals. He backed up his performance the next year in 2002 by winning in England at Wimbledon, as well as defending his end-of-year finals
title. Although his career has not gone entirely downhill, one does not expect to see a two-time Grand Slam winner become the world’s fiftieth ranked player.
Besides age, another factor is family time, he and his wife recently had their third child, and at 29, his career’s days are numbered. An ideal exit would be at the coming year’s Australian Open, giving Lleyton Hewitt an ideal hometown send-off.
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