Francesca Schiavone is one of the oldest female players going around on the tour, but, she is not starting even to contemplate retirement.
The Italian reckons she has not lost that competitive edge inside her and till the time it’s there, there is no question of her bidding adieu to the game.
According to Schiavone, quite a few players, who are almost of the same age or maybe just a tad younger than her, are still being active in the professional circuit and they are actually doing quite wonderfully, the likes of Serena and others. So, if they can maintain their bodies in good shape and keep going, there is no reason why she can’t continue.
In her conversation to a website, the Italian said, “You see how old Serena is, maybe not quite as old as me, 33, a couple of years’ younger yes. But, she is past 30 and she is absolutely dominating everyone. Even in the male’s category, somebody like Roger, he is also approaching his mid thirties, but, his consistency has been remarkable.
“I take a lot of motivation seeing them going about their business. They are enjoying their games. They have got that appetite and they want to keep competing and I am pretty much the same in that regard to be honest. I feel, even at 35, there is something inside me which drives me to compete and I can’t walk away until that desire and hunger is there.”
Schiavone has taken part in 61 successive Grand Slam tournaments so far and she is just one away from equalizing the world record of a female player having the most number of Slam appearances in a row.
The current holder of the record is Ai Sugiyama, the former Japanese player.
When asked if she is aware of that record, Schiavone said, “Yes I am and I would love to go past it, but, at this point of time, I am not sure whether it would happen.”