Athletes are commonly thought to peak in their 20s. But some top sports stars are extending their careers across decades
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t this year’s US Open, when 45-year-old tennis great Venus Williams stepped on to the court to play in doubles, it was alongside a teammate who wasn’t even born when Williams won gold in the singles at the Sydney Olympics.
Given that the peak performance age for a tennis player has traditionally been considered to be around the mid-20s, it was an extraordinary feat to be competing at a major, but Williams’ exceptional extension of her athletic career is increasingly common.
The basketball superstar LeBron James this year made history by being the first NBA player to have played in the league from his teens to his 40s, while last year the Australian basketballer Lauren Jackson defied the odds by competing in her fifth Olympics, aged 43.
