Don’t you just love it when an old guy or an old gal comes back at something and teaches the youngsters a thing or two? This often happens in sports and, obviously, happens much more in some sports than others, but it’s always fun to see.

One of the sports where this hardly ever happens is in tennis. There have been a few great names of the past who have done amazing things at relatively advanced years. Illinois’ own Jimmy Connors was something of an evergreen player – with a career spanning two decades. In fact, Jimbo carried on competing really well against far younger players, staging one of the most remarkable come-backs in any sport ever when reaching the semi-finals of the US Open in 1991 at the ripe old age of 39.
Things like this just don’t happen in tennis! It’s a young guy’s game.

But the same might be happening right now. Roger Federer is surely the greatest male player in the history of the game and in the modern era when it’s all about power, few guys go on much beyond 30. So at 32, Roger is no spring chicken any more. But this is a man with record-breaking 17 Grand Slam wins under his belt.

And although Roger has been sliding down the rankings over the last 12 months in particular, he clearly isn’t done yet. He’s reportedly been working very hard on his fitness and the next year will be fascinating. At the time of writing, he’s reached the Australian Open quarter-finals where he’ll play Wimbledon winner Andy Murray.

He’s a 12-1 shot with Betfair, the world’s biggest betting exchange, to win the whole tournament. This probably accurately reflects his chances of winning. And a small bet on Federer to win in Melbourne might be a good fun punt.

With Betfair, you can also lay bets back, so if he beats Murray, you could lock in a profit whatever happens next. But it’s not just about this game so much as the rest of the season. To see him get back to anything like his imperious best would be wonderful, and if Jimbo could get close at 39 – the best ever can get a lot closer at 32-33. Watch this space!