Player Longevity

Novak Djokovic is the world’s oldest #1 tennis player, having last held the position at age 37. Gigi Buffon, one of football’s all-time greatest goalkeepers, hung up the gloves at age 45. Earlier this year, Luxembourgish table tennis player Ni Xia Lian became the oldest table tennis player in history to secure a win at the Olympics. She was 61 years old!

When it comes to player longevity, these world champs are showing us the way, inspiring us to keep up our love for the sport. One only needs to look at legends like Djokovic and Lebron James to see that being over 30 years old means nothing if you’re good enough.

We look at player longevity in cricket and how players maintain their form into their late 30s and 40s.

The 50-year old Test cricketer

Starting young and achieving longevity is one thing – starting late is another. Bert Ironmonger played Test cricket for Australia between 1928 and 1933, debuting at age 46! He played his final game at age 50, making him the second-oldest Test cricketer in history, behind famous Englishman Wilfred Rhodes who played his last Test match at age 52.

Bert managed to achieve all of this before today’s age of highly accurate health and science information. It just goes to show that age isn’t as big a hurdle as we may think!

How players maintain longevity

With lower-intensity sports like table tennis, or lower-intensity positions like being a goalie in soccer, it’s not unusual for players to be able to play for longer than in other sports, like AFL where the average retirement age is 32. However, the players in high-intensity sports who do play into their late 30s generally follow pretty rigorous exercise and diet routines.

• Constant improvement
  Even the best athletes in the world make a commitment to improving their game. Look at Novak Djokovic, who’s almost inarguably the world’s greatest ever tennis player, and still has a coach!

• Regular exercise
  As the body gets older, it becomes more and more important to maintain it with regular, intensive exercise and strength training. Lebron James works out 5 times a week, incorporating a mix of weightlifting, cardio and yoga. 

• Diet
  And lastly, diet is something all athletes pay lots of attention to. Athletes tend to eat a balanced diet with all the food groups, which is high in protein and calorie-appropriate. Steve Smith is known for eating eggs for breakfast, and lean meats for lunch and dinner. And by the way, it’s a myth that the late Shane Warne lived off baked beans during his time in India in 1998!

We welcome players of all backgrounds and abilities. Whether you want to develop your skills, work towards competitive cricket or hire a lane for practice, our coaching team and indoor facilities can help. Contact us or book online to plan your next session.