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Life after tennis - What are the greats up to now?

Tennis commentator Barry Millns looks at what the likes of Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl and Yvegny Kafelnikov have chosen to do after tennis and what Djokovic and the Williams sisters might do

'What next?' is a question every professional player faces when they retire. Initially, having spent most of their lives hitting tennis balls the chance to switch off for a while, to end the relentless routine is compelling. But eventually, as highly competitive individuals, they all need something else to do for the rest of their lives, however successful they were on the tour.

For many, who made some money as pros but not enough to live off for the rest of their days, coaching fills the gap well either on the road with current players or for national federations, academies and colleges. As the likes of Darren Cahill and Brad Gilbert have shown they don't have to be the best players to make the best coaches but knowing what it takes to compete year after year at the highest level certainly helps, as does the ability to inspire and communicate well.

In fact Cahill and Gilbert are just two of many who have also turned their hand to media work, the opinions of ex-players as 'colour' commentators and studio 'analysts' a fundamental part of sports coverage be it on television, radio or in print. For many, John McEnroe is the best exponent of that art while some, such as Jim Courier, Mats Wilander, Andrew Castle and Annabel Croft have put themselves on the other side of the microphone by becoming interviewers and presenters.

Having covered the sport for 20 years it is ironic to see how certain individuals who were very media-unfriendly as players have become media mainstays today! But while some are making very good second careers out of that line of work, there are others who have kept on competing on the Seniors Tour or in other sports.

Take Ivan Lendl, the former world No.1 and winner of eight grand slams, who two years after hanging up his racket birdied the first hole on his golf debut in the 1996 Czech Open. He then bombed to an 82 and missed the cut, but he also fathered five daughters, four of whom now play golf at a highly competitive junior level and could go far.

Yevgeney Kafelnikov also tried to transfer his talents to the golf course but when he made his European Tour debut at the Russian Open in Moscow three years ago he finished last on 40 over par! He is reportedly having more success as a professional poker player.

In between school runs Tim Henman, another low handicapper, has spent most of his days, since retiring last autumn, on the golf course. But in his case there is a sense that when he is ready Britain's former No.1 will put plenty more back into the sport which gave him so much.

As for Pete Sampras, another family man, even the American legend eventually got bored of just playing golf to while away the days of his retirement after earning more than $40 million from his chosen profession and many, many more in endorsements. Not surprisingly he leapt at the chance to face Roger Federer in a series of exhibition matches late last year and in another one to come next month at Madison Square Garden in New York, but it is as if Sampras is still trying to prove something which is rather sad for a winner of 14 grand slams.

Unlike Sampras, there are others who already seem to have future paths planned midway through their tennis careers. The worlds of interior design, fashion and acting have long drawn the attention of the Williams sisters and Novak Djokovic could have a bright future as an impressionist!

Many do charity work and some, such as Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick have gone as far as to create their own foundations, raising millions of dollars for various worthy causes. But as far as I know, Andrea Jaeger, another philanthropist, is the only former top tennis player who has become a nun.