"I had to put more time in and train harder": Jimmy Connors uses Federer and Nadal as example in challenges of ageing in tennis

Jimmy Connors opened up on his latest episode of Advantage Connors of the challenges of getting older in the sport of tennis using his own experiences in parallel to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

It makes them and Novak Djokovic still playing at the top until the tail end of their careers even more remarkable with Connors admitting that the need to train harder is there as the body starts to slow down and other players start to catch up. But at the same time, the dilemma is there that you need to do this while looking after yourself and not taking it too far so the endless battle is always there.

"Even though I was getting older I knew that I had to put more time in and train harder because I was playing against guys younger, but I also understood that I couldn't do it so much and I'd hurt myself," Connors said.

"When you do get older, whether Nadal or Federer or Pacho Gonzales, who played well into his 40s, or me, you got to figure that out on your own (how to manage the body)."