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One fourth round matches pits two 30+ players against one another: Florian Mayer (Germany) vs. David Ferrer (3rd seed, Spain). Ferrer is a regular in the late stages of Majors, having made at least the quarterfinals of all four multiple times. He is one of the most respected players on tour and is the easy choice as best active player never to have won a Slam.
For Mayer, making it this far is a much bigger deal. When healthy, he has been a solid top 100 player. However, this is only the third time in his career that he has made it past the third round of a Major and the first time he's done it at a tournament other than Wimbledon. Ferrer's a tall order for any player but Mayer may have a shot. His head-to-head record against the scrappy Spaniard is a respectable 3-4, including a hard court win this past fall in Shanghai.
Great post! I enjoyed all the information.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly!
DeleteI'm going with improved fitness and nutrition...Let at least one sport be drug free!
ReplyDeleteI hope so, too.
DeleteDick Norman retired at 42 as the oldest ranking tennis player. I'm guessing experience plays a big role along with cardio.
ReplyDeleteHe bore the mantle of oldest player for nearly seven years, too. Norman was primarily a doubles player. Those guys tend to last longer anyway - you don't put nearly as many miles on the tires. Doubles is a more tactical game, too, which argues for the importance of experience.
DeleteUndoubtedly, improved conditioning has helped. But the miles on the tires will be an interesting factor for those members of the Big Four not named Roger Federer. Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have all admitted they're not likely to play as well for as long as Fed has. His game is all about controlling the court and making the other guy do the work. For the other three, speed and court coverage are essential weapons. Add in the extra wear and tear on the body and all three will be very different players when they lose a step to the rest of the field.