Tennis Betting: Finished at 30

General / Simon Mundie / 11 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

“This is a game where basically every week you lose. So it’s not easy to maintain the mental strength.”

A punishing schedule, excessive amounts of money and psychological pressure mean tennis players' careers are getting shorter, says Simon Mundie.

By the end of this week, tennis fans will have been treated to one last hurrah by the Russian enigma that is Marat Safin. At the not so ripe old age of 29, the mercurial two-time Grand Slam Champion has decided to call time on his career and thus leave the travelling and training to the next generation.

Safin never really hit the heights again after winning his second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2005, as if he knew that in winning his second major title he had done enough to ensure that people wouldn't say his was a total waste of talent. So, while most people of Safin's age are still finding their feet in their respective careers, he is preparing to kick back and enjoy his millions in retirement. Physically, a 29-year-old may not be quite as fresh and strong as a player of, say, 22, yet certain players do play great tennis well into their 30s, although this is becoming increasingly rare.

The first and most obvious reason for this is the punishing length of the tennis season. It's an oft discussed topic, and one that may well be addressed in the not too distant future, when Adam Helfant, the new CEO of the ATP tour, meets with players in London during the Masters Final to discuss the issue. Rafael Nadal holds strong views on the subject, saying "It's impossible to start playing on 1st of January and finish on 5th of December. No sport can do it, and (the consequence is) you play a shorter career.'' The worry is that it will take the premature retirement of someone like Nadal to remedy the issue.

But the length of the season, coupled with the amount of time players spend honing their bodies in the gym, isn't the only reason careers are becoming shorter. Another big factor is the amount of money in the game. Most players won't taste Grand Slam success during their time on the tour, and they will realize this is unlikely to be the case, no matter how optimistic they are, by their 23rd birthday. However, someone ranked in the top 30 can make millions of pounds, particularly if they are marketable and take advantage of the investment advice that is so common these days.

In the 1980s, players would make less money, and not enjoy the same advice in terms of the best way to make it work for them, so their wealth wouldn't grow at the same accelerated rate. Juan Carlos Ferrero is a case in point, investing time and money in a hotel rather than focusing on returning to the top five. Will he play until he is over the age of 30? Unlikely.

Perhaps the biggest issue is the mental pressure that players are put under; both self-inflicted and by the media. Cameras and film crews want round the clock access to the stars of the game. If a player is going through a tough spell, he will be battered with questions about his loss of form, which can send the most battle-hardened into a funk. Even the great Roger Federer went through this after he was deposed as world number one last year and suffered some tough defeats early this season. The incessant questioning as to whether he was on a downward curve clearly affected his game and his mood: remember his tears in Australia and the racket smashing in Miami?

Federer is a man who has enjoyed unparalleled success. For every other player on tour, staying upbeat week after week, year after year is an enormous test of character, as Novak Djokovic explains: "This is a game where basically every week you lose. So it's not easy to maintain the mental strength." We shouldn't be too surprised then as more and more player's join Safin in deciding enough is enough before they hit the grand old age of 30.