Studies have suggested that tennis players reach their highest levels of performance as young as 24, but Williams, who turns 41 later this month, has managed to stay at the top of her game for much longer. But she is not the only one, other athletes are also now 40 years old. So why do athletes retire later?
Between 25 and 28 years old
Experts say it’s due to a combination of better training, nutrition, and recovery techniques. A 2018 study found that the average age of the top 100 tennis players in the world has increased considerably in the last 10 years. Thirty years ago, the average age of the top 100 men and women in the world was 23.74 years and 22.56 years, respectively. By the end of last year, however, those numbers had risen to 28.26 and 25.8 respectively.
One of the key changes that has helped any athlete compete longer has been the approach to training. The old school approach to training was high-intensity exercises to exhaustion or fatigue, essentially pushing an athlete until they couldn’t do anything else during that training session. The main benefit of this approach is that it saves time, since the more intense the exercise, the less time it takes to achieve the benefits of training. But now any athlete and coach prefers a more structured approach.
The reason for this change in training styles is due in large part to research over the last 20 years showing that the exhaustion and the injuries they are most common as a result of overtraining caused by high-intensity exercise. Any athlete now prefer polarized training, which is less intense.
Athletes can also use concurrent training, which combines strength and endurance training in the same session. This type of training is especially useful, considering that most sports combine strength and endurance.
Diet changes and recovery
Recovery, both immediate and long-term, is also key to extending athletes’ careers. During the recovery period, the body is able to adapt to repair and strengthen itself, while the rest period also gives athletes time to recover psychologically.
Recovery techniques have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, and now include hydrotherapy, active recovery, stretching, massages and ice bathssomething that Williams has regularly commented on.
Sleep is another important aspect of rest and recovery when it comes to athletic performance. Sleep-deprived athletes are at risk of losing aerobic endurance and may experience subtle changes in hormone levels, which can lead to higher levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) as well as decreased growth hormone human.
When it comes to diet, good nutrition is key to a long run. It is well known that as we age we need to maintain our muscle mass differently. This may require adjustments in protein intake depending on the changing demands of exercise.
Many professional athletes choose personalized diets, which take into account genetics, immune function and the digestive system to boost performance and improve recovery. Customizing diets and changing them throughout their career can allow athletes to maintain their health and performance.