Not one day has been completed at the 2016 French Open – with matches to be played on day one postponed due to rain – and the tournament has already entered the tennis record books.
That’s because a record number of 30-something players have entered the main draw this year in Paris. 40% of the players in the men’s draw have in fact already turned 30 by the time the tournament kicks off in May. If 30 is the new 20, then tennis clearly is living in the trend at the moment.
The total number of 30-something players in the main draw on the men’s side is 51. Fifty-one players out of 128 have already passed the 30 mark.
The average age of the first 10 seeds in Paris is 28 years and 6 months, with Milos Raonic the youngest player among the top seeds, with 25 years and a half of age. Nick Kyrgios, 21, is the youngest player in the top 20. The first teenager in the rankings is Alexander Zverev, who is now ranked at No.41 but who was ranked 48th when the draw for Roland Garros was decided. The youngest of all is Taylor Fritz, World No.67 despite being just 18 years old.
And what about the elder ones? Thanks to a great performance and three matches won in the qualifying draw, Radek Stepanek has become the oldest player in the draw, with 37 and a half years of age.