General / Barry Millns / 30 October 2008 /

Two decades of global travel might be good for the air-miles but it takes it's toll on the body and the mind, says Barry Millns as he salutes the ATP Tour's current elder statesman.

When Andre Agassi hobbled off court after his last match, at the US Open in 2006, it was a sobering reminder of how physically punishing, let alone mentally, professional tennis is. The American legend, who had played more than 1,100 singles matches in his stellar career, had required a series of cortisone injections in his back to get through that last campaign and while Jimmy Connors played at the Open when he was 40, we are unlikely to see any more men on the main tour at such an age again.

Among the dwindling group of 'old-timers' who have continued to ply their trade in 2008 in defiance of their advancing years are Jonas Bjorkman (aged 36), Fabrice Santoro (nearly 36), Thomas Johansson (33) and Carlos Moya (32). Between them they have played a staggering 3,186 singles matches, as well as 1,875 doubles matches in their careers collecting a total of 119 titles along the way!

The most prolific of the quartet and the one about to retire after next month's Tennis Masters Cup doubles in Shanghai is Bjorkman. The genial Swede may never have matched the outstanding exploits of his famous compatriots Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg but he has undoubtedly made the most of his talents.

Once ranked as high as No.4 in singles, he reached the US Open semi-finals in 1997 and the last four at Wimbledon only two years ago. His punched returns with little backswing often sent big serves back with interest, which combined with his speed around the court and skills at the net made him an ideal doubles partner.

Alongside the likes of Jacco Eltingh, Pat Rafter, Todd Woodbridge and Max Mirnyi, Bjorkman claimed a total of nine major doubles titles. In addition, he has been a stalwart of Sweden's Davis Cup team, playing every year bar one since 1994 and winning the trophy on three occasions.

Bjorkman has also entertained us down the years with his impressions of other players. But it is tough for anyone to copy the unique style of Fabrice Santoro, the French 'magician'.

Many stars of the game can testify to Santoro's unorthodox and mesmerising skills which have so often tangled them up in a web of two-handed chops, slices, cuts and thrusts. Andy Murray says Santoro is his favourite player to watch and there is a certain similarity in the way they both, at their best, toy with opponents and make them chase shadows.

But the veteran of 65 Grand Slam singles championships, winning two Australian Open doubles titles along the way, Santoro knows that his powers are waning. "I will play some events (in 2009), but it's getting tougher and tougher. Playing the matches is not tough - it's the training, the travelling, I want to spend time with my daughter."

Being on the road for 20 years or more may be good for the air-miles, but it is bound to take its toll and while Santoro has extended his career further than most, there are many who quit far sooner, burnt out by the whole process and no longer able to enjoy it like they used to, despite the huge rewards and lifestyle on offer. Just ask the former world No.1 Marat Safin, now seriously considering retirement still 15 months shy of his 30th birthday.

It may not be long before Thomas Johansson, the 'one-hit' wonder who famously upstaged Safin to win the 2002 Australian Open, does call it quits. Having peaked at No.7 in the world later that year, the Swede's ranking then plummetted as he missed the whole of 2003 following knee surgery and although he climbed all the way back up into the Top 10, his form and ranking (now No.131) have been in steady decline for most of the last two years, with just a couple of quarter-final appearances the best he has to show from only 15 wins in 2008.

As for Moya and his thousands of fans around the world, hopefully the end isn't nigh just yet for the original muscular Majorcan. Another former world No.1 and Grand Slam champion, the Spaniard who has had more than his fair share of injuries, is still using his strong serve and big forehand to win more than he is losing and will end this season ranked inside the Top 50, as he has done for all of the past 12 years.

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