It’s a revival of rivalries from over a decade ago: when the Williams sisters were seemingly in every major final, as were Federer and Nadalon the men’s side. Venus, Serena and Roger are all in their mid 30s; and Rafa is the youngest of this year’s finalist at a mere 30. This group of seasoned tennis ‘senior citizens’ have been spanking back their younger opponents in Australia.
It’s never a surprise when Serena makes a final, but for Venus it’s been over 7 years; during that time her auto-immune disease has taken its toll, preventing her from playing at the top of her game. Even if she had hung up her tennis shoes by now, she would be an inspiration both on and off the court–her comeback at age 36 is truly impressive.
For Federer / Nadal it’s been 6 years since they met in a Grand Slam Final: with see-saw results on hard courts and Rafa reigning supreme on the clay. Rafa has had a rough couple of years with the injuries that are inevitable with his hard charging style of play–and it’s exciting to see him back on top of his game. Roger is back after taking 6 months off to heal a knee injury; and has proven he can still mix it up with the best.
Although I do not consider 36 be old… in tennis years they ‘should be’ well past their prime. Kudos to all four of them… win or lose, it will be exciting, and the real winners are the fans who get a chance to see timeless greatness…. once again.