Tennis, the old man's sport

'Daddy, let's go play tennis,' I said to my dad one early evening after work. Dad obliged and we headed to the court. Now I knew my dad wouldn't be able to match my energy no matter that I'd just come back from work and he'd been resting all day. But I wasn't surprised by how many balls he could still get by me.

My dad is 66 years old and still chases after balls on the tennis court. He couldn't beat me in a real match--really he cannot--but he still has his moments. That's what makes tennis the ultimate old man's sport. What other sport involving speed, footwork and significant use of physical exertion over several hours would you find a 13-year pro still at the top of the game? And I mean individual sports where each player goes mano-a-mano; no help from anyone else?

At 29, Roger Federer is still a young man. But in tennis life, he is considered an elder statesman. Why? Well he's been playing since 1998 so the toll his body has taken over the years qualify him for the status. Yet he managed to hold the world's best player Rafael Nadal, four years younger, to a very tough four-setter before bowing out at the French Open. Oh did I mention that clay court is Federer's worst playing surface and Nadal's best?

It's not just the men's game you find it. The early buzz surrounding the women's bracket at the French Open was the absence of both Williams sisters for the first time since both turned pro. Soon to turn 31 and 30, and with 17 and 16 years of playing as pros under their belt, Venus and Serena Williams are still considered heavy favorites at tournaments. News about their absence dominated the tournament well before two other older players, China's Li Na (29) and Italy's Francesca Schiavone (30) played for the title. Li outplayed Schiavone to earn her country's first major title in tennis.

But none of these guys compare to the oldest player to make the main draw at the French Open: Kimiko Date-Krumm of Japan. The 40-year-old won just two games in the second set of her first round match against top seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, but she showed up to play just like any other competitor. Wozniacki wasn't even born when Date-Krumm made her French Open debut in 1989.

I tell everyone who cares to listen that they should consider picking up tennis as a fun activity to stay in shape. I joke (I'm really serious) about playing mixed doubles with my husband and kids so I'm not saying tennis is a sport for just the old. But when I ask my dad to join me in a non-competitive rally, it's not because I feel like beating up on him. It's because I know he's very capable of helping me burn some calories while bonding. And really, what's wrong with that?