A game of the young blood, there have been some remarkable oldest tennis players in the history. Tennis is one of the games where, often, players commence young. As early as six years to somewhere in their early teens, players start training. They hone their skills and also garner accolades very young.
In tennis, the average age of retirement is, currently 27. Players with a great legacy and strong game often make a run upto 30 as well. Not only this, but in tennis history, Gail Falkenberg is the oldest player. At the age of 74 she has resumed her game with an aspiration to win a match at the circuit. With sharp and poised skills tennis boasts of some great oldest tennis players in the world.
#1 Jimmy Connors
A name that amassed 109 career titles as well as significant controversies. Connors picked up the racquet for the last time (professionally) as a 43-years-old in 1996. He had an illustrious career for two decades.
Connors held top ATP ranking for 160 weeks consecutively. He also triumphed three Open Era titles. During his long and glorious career, he adorned his hall of fame with some great victories.
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#2 John McEnroe
It is not that easy to say goodbye to this racquet ball game. There always some strings attached! John McEnroe, is another star and one of the oldest tennis players. Well, McEnroe has been a on confrontational player. He is often known for his skirmishes during his day But, his tennis skills are unbeatable and he made great records on court.
He announced his retirement in 1994 from the singles category. Soon he grabbed the racquet again for playing mixed and doubles matches. He finally retired from the game in 2006 at 46.
#3 Kimiko Date
Another of the lesser-known tennis players names, Kimiko also retired at 47. Albeit, for her it was a two-fold adieu. She began as a pro in 1989 and announced her first retirement in 1996 as a 25-year-old. 12 years on the count, taking everyone by surprise, Date made her way to the court greens only to call it a day again in 2017.
Date boasts of 9 WTA title and 14 IFT. She often fell short from triumphs, nonetheless made her mark in tennis with her “all stealthy, neat athleticism” style. She was the first Japanese player to reach the top 10.
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#4 Younes El Aynaoui
This Moroccan professional tennis player might not be the common and famous name on the mouth, but has laurels to his name. he commenced his career in 1990 and retire at the age of 47 in 2018. In his long run, he won five titles. Aynaoui, 2017, won an IFT Men’s circuit match against the 23-year-old Bernd Kossler. With this, he became the oldest player at the ATP rankings.
He is famously known for his Australian Open quarterfinals. It was the fifth longest set played that time against Andy Roddick.
#5 Martina Navratilova
One of the greatest players witnessed in the history of tennis, Martina made to fame up to three decades into tennis. From 1975 to 2006, Navratilova has won 18 grand slams, 177 doubles and 167 singles tournaments. She has also been the second player In history to hold world no.1 ranking the longest, only after Stefi Graff.
Martina retired in 2006, at the age of 49. As one of the oldest tennis players, she has made staggering records. She might not have won all the tournaments, nonetheless she made her mark with her exceptional and dynamic style. Chris Evert, speaking to Women’s Sport and Fitness Magazine said, “Martina revolutionized the game by her superb athleticism and aggressiveness … She brought athleticism to a whole new level with her training techniques — particularly cross-training, the idea that you could go to the gym or play basketball to get in shape for tennis.”
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