RICHARD EVANS CHECKS-IN WITH 10SBALLS.COM FROM DELRAY BEACH ATP MEN’S TENNIS TOURNAMENT

Written by: Staff on 24th February 2017

RICHARD EVANS CHECKS-IN WITH 10SBALLS.COM FROM DELRAY BEACH ATP MEN'S TENNIS TOURNAMENT

epa05803026 Donald Young of the USA hits the ball to Ryan Harrison of the USA in their semi final match of the Memphis Open tennis championship at the Racquet Club in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, 18 February 2017. EPA/TANNEN MAURY |

Age – What of it? From Richard Evans, Delray Beach

The year is not two months old and we seem to have spent a great deal of it talking about age. Talk of the passing years dominated the discussion as four vintage players reached the final of the Australian Open. Rightly, people were in awe of Roger Federer winning the title at the age of 35 over the 30-year-old Rafa Nadal.

And for Venus Williams to be in the final against her sister Serena at the age of 36 while suffering from Sjogrens’s disease was even more awe-inspiring.

Photo by Ricky Dimon

But this age business is not just a talking point at the top. You walk into the players’ lounge at the Delray Beach Open and some of the first people you see are Ivo Karlovic, due to turn 38 at the end of this month; Leander Paes, 43, and Max Mirnyi who is 39. All of them have been playing on the ATP tour, in either singles or doubles, since the late 1990’s.

I talked about it with Paes. “When should I stop?” he asked me, searching for life’s answers as ever. “I feel great. I want to go on winning Slams. When will I know if it’s time to stop?”

I suggested Leander would wake up one morning and know. But he didn’t look convinced. “I love it,” he said. “I want to go on forever.”

It could have been Federer speaking. For as long as his body holds out, the great Swiss wants to go on climbing every mountain. He’s been up there in the Alps since returning from Melbourne, gulping rarified air. It will help keep him young.

But down a couple of rungs from Federer, middle-ranking and, in tennis terms, middle-aged pros are increasingly finding that they can put their years of apprenticeship to good use.

Look what has happened to Ryan Harrison who burst onto the tour seven years ago in a blaze of hope and expectation and discovered nothing was as easy as he had anticipated. But, recently, things have started to fall into place for this dedicated pro and, in Memphis last week, he got his reward, his first ever ATP title.

Donald Young was on court here at Delray Beach soon after my chat with Paes. Young was a teenage prodigy. He has yet to win a singles title but he was a finalist here two years ago and if he shows the resolve that was evident in his 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz, then maybe one is in the offing.

The pair had never met before and Young admitted afterwards that he feels more pressure playing the youngsters. Fritz, mature beyond his years, is 19. And he should have won. The Californian had an advantage early on because Young was suffering from a clearly painful knee problem which eased as the painkillers took effect.

But, before they did, he had been on the brink. Taylor, up a set, was at 3-3 in the second when he had five break points on Young’s serve. But the older man ran and scrambled and made some incredible gets and Fritz couldn’t get the job done.

Young has learned the hard way that you should never give up and, despite serving 12 double faults, held fast as Fritz fought back from 1-4 to 3-4 in the third and even had a point for a second break back. But, in the crunch, Young had the experience. He didn’t panic. More and more we are seeing the years players spend on the tour pay off.

This was startlingly evident at the Australian Open. The series of shocking upsets that occurred in the middle of the tournament were not caused by some of the NextGen as they are being labelled, despite their obvious talent.

It was the old pros who sent the superstars packing – Denis Istomin, a 30-year-old from Khazakstan who has still not reached the quarter final of a Slam, made it to the fourth round with that stunning five set defeat of Novak Djokovic.

Mischa Zverev, the 29-year-old brother of the hugely talented teenage Sascha, stunned Andy Murray with his relentless serve and volley attack.

Britain’s Dan Evans, who has just started to put in the work to back up his considerable talent at the age of 26, upset Marin Cilic.

The message is clear. Don’t think you have missed your day in the sun. Work, believe and fight and there may yet be many ahead.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Atp World Tour, Delray Beach Open, Men's tennis, Richard Evans, Sports, Tennis News