I am not surprised by Roger Federer, Nadal, Williams longevity - Henin
In an interview, the former world No. 1 Justine Henin was asked if the longevity of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Serena Williams surprises her. The Belgian replied: "It does not surprise me. We speak about players who are the best in the history of the game. We have lived with these names for the last 15 years. I hope we see more of them. We have to be honest: What Serena has done for the game is amazing. She took it to another level. She showed that when you want something deeply and trust your capacities, you could do a lot. There is a new generation, which is taking a bit longer than we thought (to mature). But it’s not easy for the next generation to come after these players."
On the women's tennis, Henin added: "We still have these amazing champions who are quite impressive and if they can stay healthy, it gives them the possibility to play longer. That has changed in the last 10-15 years. Players can play longer because prevention workouts and recovery techniques are better. If we miss the consistency of players who play at their best the whole year, I am concerned that it is because there are a lot of distractions and it’s not always easy to stay focused. I still think the average level (of play) is going up. Some of the matches are unbelievable."
She also commented on how tennis evolved over the years: "The social media and the unbelievable amount of requests that younger players get do not allow them to be in a bubble like an athlete should do. It's difficult to put your energy everywhere. I was in the bubble for many years, focused on my goals."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2KcwQMI
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