She was not yet old enough to drive. But Hingis, who was then the fastest rising player in the WTA tour, could play as many matches as her tiny body would allow. And she did just that, winning seven Grand Slams titles and holding the No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles before calling it quits at the age of 22 — nine years after making her pro debut.
Hingis had burned out. Her body ached and her mind was a mess. The sport that had replaced her adolescence was no longer enjoyable.
“I want to play tennis only for fun,” she said in 2003, “and concentrate more on horse riding and finish my studies.”
It was a familiar story in a sport where players — from Tracy Austin and Mirjana Lucic to Jennifer Capriati and Andrea Jaeger — seemed to burn brightly and quickly. That model, however, is changing.
At this week’s Rogers Cup, the 32-year-old Hingis has returned to play doubles after a six-year absence from the sport. But she is not the only so-called senior on tour. World No. 1 Serena Williams and 2011 French Open champion Li Na are both 31; Venus Williams is 33; Francesca Schiavone won her French Open in 2010 less than a month before her 30th birthday; and Kimiko Date-Krumm, who is ranked 62nd in the world, is still playing at 42.
They have to be more stronger, they have to be more physically settled. So that’s the reason you’re seeing them come into the prime now in their mid-20s
Yes, it appears that old is new again.
“Am I old?” asked Li, who won the 2011 French Open when she was 29. “There are so many people ask about the age. For me, I’m feeling pretty healthy and strong so I don’t know how many years I can play.”
Older players are not only competing. They are also winning.
Late-bloomer Marion Bartoli was 28 years old when she won Wimbledon last month; Samantha Stosur was also 28 when she won the 2011 U.S. Open; and of the 16 Grand Slams that Serena Williams has won during her career, five came after her 28th birthday.
Part of this is because the women’s game has become more about power, so bodies need time to physically mature. But part of it is also by design.
Tired of watching teenage players win tournaments and then burn out before they turn 20, the WTA the implemented a player development program in 1995 that set up mentorships between young players and veteran or retired players, provided off-court support and helped with the transition to becoming a professional.
The big change was in setting eligibility requirements based on age, ranking and experience. For instance, a 14-year-old is now limited to eight pro events, while a 16-year-old can play a maximum of 12, unless they merit an exception because of ability. Even then, the most a 16-year-old can play in a year is capped at 16.
As a result, the WTA has seen fewer teenage champions (a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova and 19-year-old Svetlana Kuznetsova were the last teenage Grand Slam champions in 2004). But its data show that premature retirements (prior to age 22) have dropped to less than 1% in 2004 from 7% in 1995, and players are 73% more likely to enjoy a 15-year career.
“We’ve been able to extend the career longevity of these athletes from an average of 12 years to 15,” WTA chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster said. “I’ll take 15 years of an athlete any day over moments of greatness and a shorter career.”
There are still dynamic young players on the tour. Petra Kvitova was 21 when she won Wimbledon in 2011, while 24-year-old Victoria Azarenka won the last two Australian Opens. But more and more, it appears that players are peaking at a later age.
“With the power in the game today, people are developing later,” tennis great Billie Jean King said. “They have to be more stronger, they have to be more physically settled. So that’s the reason you’re seeing them come into the prime now in their mid-20s. In my day we could have a champion at 16 or 17. That doesn’t happen now.
“Tracy Austin was really good at 16 but she was also playing at two years old. She had her 10 years by the time she was 16. She had more. It takes a long time to be great.”
It also takes effort to stay great. King, who played until she was 40, remembers dragging young players into the weight room and to physiotherapy. “They didn’t want to do it,” she said. “I was like, ‘You’re going to hit this place every day and you’re going to make sure you know what’s going on.’”
Today, the WTA measures muscle groups and gives players individual exercise programs. The players are now bigger, more athletic and hit harder. Even if a 14-year-old wanted to, she would not have a chance to return balls against some of the six-foot players on tour.
For Hingis, who relied on her smarts when she was playing, it was eye-opening to see just how much the game has changed. And yet it was also refreshing to see how someone her age could find a second life on the courts.
“That’s why I wanted to see and check out, like, how it’s still going to be like to play the young up‑and‑coming players,” Hingis said. “I think it’s probably more physical … but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s gotten smarter. That’s why I felt like there is still this opening.”
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