Gilles Simon gives thoughts on which players will benefit most from extended break

Former world No. 6 Gilles Simon thinks players aged between 25-30 will benefit the most from the extended break as they are at the age where they are well aware of their weaknesses and now they they have had time to work on them.

The tennis season has been suspended since March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the plan is to resume the ATP Tour this month in New York, where the USTA is planning to stage both the Cincinnati Masters and US Open in a bubble.

Simon, who turned professional in 2002, doesn't have much time left on the court as he is set to turn 36 years at the end of the year but he still loves the game.

Simon, who has won 14 ATP titles throughout his career, is now ranked at No. 54 in the world.

"I think this period will be better for players between 25 and 30 years old. I think they already have some experience on the circuit and that they are at an ideal time in their careers to improve their tennis and to do a kind of "stocktaking" of what happened in the first part of the game. their career. These middle aged players are starting to understand their weaknesses and have started to correct them, knowing they still have a lot of energy to do so. They are still young and healthy, which is good for them," Simon said, as quoted on We Love Tennis France.

Simon admits the recovery process is harder when you get older 

The Frenchman thinks players need to use this time to work on their physical condition as being exceptionally prepared is one of the main keys to success.

"I think the key to this period is to work on the physique. The most important thing is to stay in shape, but without struggling; it takes time to avoid injury because your body is not what it was when you were 20 years old. Back in the day, you could play for four hours straight without any problems. For us it's a little different today," Simon added. 

Simon started the season with three consecutive early round losses but then made the Marseille semifinal in his last tournament played before the season was suspended.

Simon returned to competitive action last month at the Challenge Elite FFT and won two out of three legs of the event.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2Dze2qd