Bill Simons
“May your hands always be busy
May your feet always be swift
May you have a strong foundation
When the winds of change shift
May your heart always be joyful
May your song always be sung
And may you stay forever young.”
– Bob Dylan
A whole generation was once told not to trust anyone over 30. Everyone believed they’d be forever young. Now tennis fans are realizing that, despite their deepest desires, our icons simply won’t be forever young.
Roger is hobbled. Serena has stumbled. It’s been a while since Venus was in orbit. We’re missing Rafa’s roar.
But how to describe this daunting moment of generational mortality, now that so many of the bright stars in the tennis heavens seem to be fading?
Yes, we saw it coming, a daunting tsunami traveling over the ocean. And we know we should be grateful. What immeasurable joys these four stars have given us! For the first time in a quarter century there will not be a Williams sister in the US Open draw.
As Dylan said, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
Few love tennis more than Roger Federer. A couple of seasons ago he conceded how much he loves the circus: “I need the fire, the excitement, the whole roller coaster.” But his knee hasn’t been listening. Sidelined again due to a third knee surgery, the beloved 40-year-old has played only four tournaments in 14 months.
Clearly, “The times, they are a-changing” for Rafa, too. The Spaniard is “only” 35. But he not only lost in the semifinals of the tournament he seemed to own, the French Open, he fell to his biggest rival – Novak Djokovic. Far worse, he re-injured his perpetually problematic left foot that’s plagued him since 2005. He gamely tried to come back in Washington DC, but he was hobbled, and would soon retire for the rest of the year. He sat out last year’s US Open. New Yorkers haven’t seen him since his captivating five-set win over Daniil Medvedev in 2019, and still hope he will come back strong.
When it comes to Venus and Serena, an old Dylan plea comes to mind: “Stay, lady, stay, while the night is still ahead.” A few seasons ago Venus, who reached the 2017 US Open semis, told us, “This old cat still has some tricks up her sleeve.” But there haven’t been all that many.
“Queen V” is 41 and ranked No. 147. The seven-time Slam champ has won just three matches this year and hasn’t made it past the second round at a Slam in almost three years. She tells us she’s still playing because she gets MRI’s all the time. They’re expensive and the WTA insurance is good. We think she’s kidding, but we’re not sure.
We are sure that the one and only Serena hasn’t won a Slam in well over four years, and, once again, her quest to equal Margaret Court’s mark of 24 Slams, that we once thought she’d achieve with ease, will remain beyond her grasp. It’s all sort of agonizing.
Serena, who suffered a painful and slow healing hamstring injury at Wimbledon, hasn’t played on a hard court since the Australian Open. She’s suffered three stunning losses to players outside the top 40 and is now ranked No. 22. That’s hardly the Serena we know and love.
It’s not that Roger, Rafa, Serena and Venus are saying they “ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.” None of them have hung up their sneakers – they’re simply having trouble getting to work.
It’s hard to accept, let alone grasp, that these titans are now teetering and that the tectonic plates of change are grinding. As for the future, “The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.” So perhaps it’s best to take Dylan’s advice: “Don’t think twice, it’s all right.”
