Feature: 'Senior citizens' roll back the years in Melbourne
It's been dubbed the 'Comeback Open'. Looking at the men's and women's semi-final draws at the 2017 Australian Open, one could be forgiven for thinking you are in a time warp.
Roger Federer vs Stan Wawrinka in an all-Swiss match-up and Rafael Nadal vs Grigor Dimitrov in the men's semi's and Serena Williams up against Coco Vandeweghe and older sister Venus set to face Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
The dominant forces of the 2000’s are proving they are far from a spent force after fears not so long ago that the twilight had dawned.
The most striking statistic about the semi-final match-up's is that six of the eight combatants are already in their 30's, the oldest being Venus Williams at 36.
This is generally considered by many to be a career wind down phase in the popular racquet sport, as the physical demands start taking their toll, but these 'senior citizens' of the sport appear to have re-written the script in an age-defying show of force.
Eight years after facing one another in an Australian Open final, the Williams sisters could keep it in the family with a ninth Grand Slam final showdown.
A resurgent Venus will have to first see off 34-year-old Croatian Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, while Serena has to contend with the tall American Coco Vandeweghe, who even at 25, is pretty well grown-up already by tennis standards.
Former 90's teenage sensation Lucic-Baroni, who is unseeded, has advanced to her first Grand Slam semi-final in 18 years.
Her well-documented story is one of triumph against the odds after fleeing Croatia with her mother and siblings a number of years ago to escape alleged mental and physical abuse by her father and abandoning her tennis dream.
Both Serena and Venus have fought their way back from a range of health and injury problems. The younger Serena is still on a quest to surpass Steffi Graf's all-time Open era record of 22 Grand Slam titles, one of which included the sought-after Golden Slam.
Even 17-time Grand Slam winner Federer, Wawrinka and Nadal are turning back the clock when many had feared their golden days may well be behind them.
Federer came to Melbourne with his lowest ranking (17th) in 15 years after a lengthy injury layoff and Nadal has similarly been beset with injury problems and loss of form.
Between Federer and Nadal they have a collection of 31 Grand Slam titles.
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The 'nipper' in the men's line-up is the hungry Bulgarian Dimitrov, who at 25, has gone one better than his quarter-final appearance in Melbourne in 2014 and bettered only by a sem-final place at Wimbledon in the same year.
Be careful next time when referring to an older person as 'over the hill' or 'seen better days'.
Clearly the sun is shining brightly on the other side of the hill for the likes of Federer, Wawrinka, Nadal, the Williams sisters and Lucic-Baroni.
Maybe their better days have just begun in Melbourne.
Can experience trump youth ? – the next instalment awaits.
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