How Aging Athletes Continue To Win Big

Published February 3, 2017 at 10:00 AM CST

United States' Serena Williams poses with her trophy after defeating her sister Venus to win the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia. (Aaron Favila/AP)

Tom Brady at 39 in his seventh Super Bowl. Roger Federer and Serena Williams win the Australian Open at 35. Age-defying athletes, and what they can teach us.

Old comes early in professional sports. But lately, age-defying athletes are coming out on top.Serena Williams and Roger Federer, winning Grand Slams in Australia at 35. NFL quarterback Tom Brady headed into the Super Bowl this weekend at 39. Just getting there is pretty great. How do they do it? This hour On Point, Age-defying athletes at the top of their games, and what they can teach us about staying awesome. Plus, Super Bowl halftime acts, and Lady Gaga’s moment. — Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Jason Gay, sports columnist for The Wall Street Journal. ( @jasongay)

Shawn Arent, director of the graduate program in kinesiology and applied physiology at Rutgers University, where he is also director of the Rutgers Center for Health and Human Performance. ( @ShawnArent)

Dara Torres, five-time Olympic swimmer and 12-time Olympic medalist. ( @daratorres)

Maeve McDermott, entertainment editor at USA Today. ( @maeve_mcdermott)

From Tom’s Reading List

The Wall Street Journal: Thank You, Roger Federer. Thank You, Rafael Nadal — “It felt like magnificent luck, all of it. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, aged rivals, back in the final of a Grand Slam tennis event, a showdown that no one saw coming, not even them. Between the two they had 65 years and 31 major tournament titles and a crush of global adoration as stars and statesmen of the game. They’d endured injuries and doctor-ordered shutdowns and the steady creep of uncertainty that comes with getting older. There were a lot of laudatory things you could say about the careers of Federer and Nadal, but entering 2017 you could have easily said this: There was doubt.”

ESPN: Roger Federer joins exclusive club of late, great athletic feats — “Men, in terms of elite tennis, typically tap out after the age of 29. The great Pete Sampras, who is tied with Nadal at 14 majors, won only one after that birthday, the 2002 US Open — and eventually retired. Federer, at 30, won Wimbledon in 2012 and then failed to win any of the successive 17 majors. Since turning 29, Nadal hasn’t won a single Slam.”

USA Today: 4 lessons for Lady Gaga before her Super Bowl halftime show — “Bruce Springsteen’s stage slide. Prince’s white sheet. Beyonce’s bullet belt. An artist’s Super Bowl halftime performance is one of their career’s most enduring moments — which, as Janet Jackson’s Nipplegate controversy proved, isn’t always a good thing. On Sunday, it’s Lady Gaga’s turn.”

Memorable Superbowl Halftime Acts

[Youtube]