Age barrier for Nadal? Three 40-something trailblazers

Rafael Nadal has not "100 per cent closed the door" on extending his career despite his 38th birthday fast approaching and with his ranking having slipped to an injury-impacted 275 in the world.

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Whether or not he adds to his 22 Grand Slam titles at the French Open, where is a 14-time champion, remains to be seen but plenty of players have continued to defy time.

AFP Sport looks at three men who blazed a trail that Nadal could yet still follow:

Roger Federer

– Nadal's rival and close friend Federer played until he was 41, closing the door on his career at a teary Laver Cup in London in 2022. In an emotional moment courtside, Nadal even grasped the hand of the great Swiss whose collection of 20 Grand Slams has since been exceeded by Novak Djokovic's 24 and the 22 of Nadal.

The last of Federer's majors came at the 2018 Australian Open when he 36 years, five months and seven days old.

Ken Rosewall

– Australia's Rosewall remains the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title, capturing his eighth major at the 1972 Australian Open when he was 37.

Rosewall was 39 when he lost the 1974 finals at Wimbledon and the US Open to Jimmy Connors.

He eventually retired from the sport in 1980 just before his 46th birthday at an indoor tournament in Melbourne while his last two titles were won when he was 43 in Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Jimmy Connors

– The flamboyant and combative Connors won eight Grand Slam titles in his career, only retiring in 1996 at the age of 43.

His longevity allowed him to claim 109 titles which is still a men's record.

The American also made his mark in 1991 when he went all the way to the US Open semifinals at the age of 39 despite entering the tournament on a wildcard and with a ranking of 174.