Time catching up to Serena and Roger?
(ESPN) The symmetry seems ominous. It's certainly borderline eerie. Once again, Roger Federer and Serena Williams are sidelined during a major tennis event.
Williams pulled out of Madrid, a top-tier event for both the ATP and WTA, last Friday, citing the flu. On Monday, Federer also withdrew after an old back injury flared up during a Saturday practice session.
Federer and Williams, the twin pillars on which the game's current global popularity rests, are both 34 years old. With a quarter of the year elapsed, each of them has played just three events. While both have earned the right to be selective, neither has won any of those events.
Both players have repeatedly said they have no plans to retire any time soon. But the bodies of the players might be telling them otherwise. .................(more)
http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/15446612/tennis-opportunities-dwindling-roger-federer-serena-williams
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have never cared for Serena, mainly because I loved Venus and always wanted to see her win. Serena's game is certainly exceptional. Roger, on the other hand is breaking my heart. 
I don't want to see him go but it is certainly going to happen soon.
It is amazing they have lasted this long at the level of play they are enjoying. I hope they play as long as they wish.
look for beauty of the players particular game (that can also be power, not just only grace), a sense of fair play and love of the game. Murray may love it, I don't know, because he looks like he hates every moment of it. Nadal, just yuck. He is done with his ability to out hit every one else and there is no grace in his game and he makes me think of a lunatic the way he handles his little rituals (Bartoli was particularly bad about that too but she was kinda fun). Djoker is OK but only ok for me. Wawrinka (I know I am not spelling these right but oh well) seems mainly angry and kind of a shit head in his personal life but then what do we ever really know and we really don't need to know any of it. Not an interesting game at all though. He gets it done but I can read about it and be as entertained.
Connors was right in his book, they are also entertainers. Being an entertainer of sorts myself I know the bit, ya gotta make it look good in one way or the other or you are sunk no matter what. Those guys really got that part.
I am forgetting the name of that new, wild Aussie who kinda whooshed in and then went a little bonkers and whooshed out last year but is supposed to be coming back, Kyrgios or something like that? Meh, he might be fun but he reminds me of Safin. Up once and then a crash that is never recovered from. I hope not. Nishikori was fun, maybe there is more there? Raonic, no way. I do not like one single thing about him. There are a couple of others I cannot remember their names yet, they are memorable I just have not paid them much attention yet. I will be watching to see what comes from them and of course there is always my special player Ferrer. I don't think he has retired yet but it can't be long. Hopefully I will get to see him every year when Roland Garros comes around like we do Santoro (oh how I loved watching him).
The women's side is killing me. Serena really does need to be gone but then again, there is nobody who can routinely take her down so she has every right to be there. A lot of my old favorites hang in but are not ever going to be in the top again, I still watch them. I have a very hard time with the American players. I think if they would just leave those poor girls or young women alone they might be able to do something but when you are that young and inexperienced and your country and sport hang all their hopes on you and hype you in massive ways and still tries to also make you seem a super model there is no way. I cannot imagine the pressures on them. I would love to love them but I am so sick of the fawning attention of the American broadcasters when they really are basing all their comments only on hope I could scream.
LOL, still waiting for A. Radwanska. I really thought she could do it. She does not have a lot of time left to get there, maybe too late already. I am not sure how old she is. Anyway....that is all there is from an old person who loves the sport but was never good enough to play it. Still watching and waiting for the next fun and wonderful player to come along. 