It has been proven time and again that age does not determine the playing life of a sportsperson on the court, field or indoors. It is the performance.
On one side, Federer who recently turned 30, expressed that he had no plans to retire from the sport that makes fans all over the world glued to their television screens and yell out “FEDEX!” in enthusiasm. Federer so far has 16 record grand slam titles to his name and 67 career titles. No wonder the will to quit doesn’t flow in to the star. Once the world number 1, he currently hold the third position and with all admiration towards it. His 3oth birthday party, which was a low affair, was no going-away party. He has been reaching the finals in almost all grand slams and giving his best performances out on the court. There is absolutely no reason for him to quit just as yet; his coach, manager, and of course his fans believe.
Then there is Kim Clijsters. The 28-year-old, world number two said that the upcoming Olympics was a big deal and to leave the sport at the time would not be worth it. She made her comeback recently is to play the Rogers Cup in Toronto this week. Clijsters hints that she may be retiring soon however not before the London Olympics as she wants to leave a mark there. She does however want to be with her family, kids as soon as possible. She may bid farewell in a low-key tournament, ones that have been very close to her heart like in Flushing Meadows. She won the first three grand slam titles of her starting career there and she would like to end it there.
These are the champs of tennis, ones that are about to or thinking about retirement. There are also some players who have just started their careers. For example, Arsenal recently bought 17 year old winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. He is supposedly a very promising player and is to make a splash with his performances with the gunners. He was bought for 15 million pounds on Monday. The manager and the other players are all looking forward to be having such a young player in the team and they expect great work in return.
But nothing compares to the signing of 7 year old Leonel Angel Coira that Real Madrid has signed. According to them he is the future of the team. For now the second-grader will train with the teens’ team until he gets to have the honor of wearing the white shirt. But still. A SEVEN YEAR OLD!
Stand him next to Federer and we have two generations of two sports of two countries right there!
Tags: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal, Kim Clijsters, Leonel Angel Coira, London Olympics, Real Madrid, Roger Federer, Sport, Tennis