Katie Taylor primed to join Ronaldo, Rose and the Williams sisters in the forties club

Last weekend, Katie Taylor spoke on RTÉ about the possibility of a world title fight in Ireland this year. She is the undisputed super-lightweight world champion and will be 40 in July.

Also last weekend, Justin Rose led from start to finish to win the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego. Aged 45, he became the oldest golfer to win the tournament.

Last Sunday, 38-year-old Novak Djokovic - a record 24-time major champion - lost to 22-year-old Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final in Melbourne. Djokovic became the oldest man in the professional era to contest a Grand Slam final.

It was the Serb’s 38th decider and extended the record he already held.

On Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 41st birthday. The Manchester Evening News has linked him with a return to Manchester United after he refused to play for his current club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo is chasing his thousandth goal and will this summer play in a sixth FIFA World Cup with Portugal.

In Toulon, the Mediterranean climate has been kind to rugby player Ma’a Nonu, where the former All Black continues to bulldoze players in professional rugby at 43.

In sport, 40 is the new 30 and it’s everywhere.

In last year’s US Open, Venus Williams competed at 45, while LeBron James continues to set basketball standards with the Lakers at 41.

In Italy this week, US skier Lindsey Vonn considered whether to compete in the Winter Olympics with a ruptured ACL.

Also 41, Vonn made an astonishing return to competition at 40 having retired six years before. The list goes on. Tom Brady retired from NFL in 2023 at 45 while Serena Williams, at 40, “evolved” away from tennis after the 2022 US Open.

The BBC last week reported that according to the Tennis Integrity Unit, Serena Williams – the 44-year-old mother-of-two and a 23-time Grand Slam singles winner – is back on the registered list of players.

Closer to home, snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan last year celebrated his 50th birthday at the UK Championship, where he holds two records. He became the youngest champion in 1993 aged 17, and the oldest in 2023, at 47.

Time used to be the truth teller to elite athletes. It is now more fallible than ever. It is not simply about the length of time athletes are extending their careers, but their ability to stay competitive and sustain a winning edge at the top of their sport.

“I want to play in and among the best players in the world; that’s what keeps me motivated, keeps me hungry, keeps me pushing,” said Rose after last week’s win. His victory and his remarks helped encapsulate what many believe – that the mind is the primary driver for career longevity.

There have been myriad studies carried out that say without the mentality, athletes simply won’t do the repetitive, detailed daily routines they need to do to service ageing limbs, and have them function the way they need to under duress.

They won’t be able to compete while injured, rebound from setbacks, negotiate roadblocks or even sustain self-belief. Without mental toughness, blinkered ambition – whether in soccer, tennis, golf or boxing – is self-delusion.

Taylor spoke last week about the passion that drove her to win an Olympic gold medal at London 2012 and then pivot to another goal – the entirely different discipline of professional boxing. A new beginning at the age of 30.

She rebooted when others might have retired. Taylor left her home and family in Ireland to move to Connecticut to be close to the one person, Ross Enamait, she identified as her best hope to further her journey toward a word title. She then lived an almost hermitic existence to achieve her goal.

Making her professional debut in November, 2016, she won her first world belt in April, 2018. Aged 36 in 2023, she became the undisputed super lightweight world champion.

“Katie is a unique situation when you look at her career. Her boxing skill set improved throughout her pro career, but physically her body in some ways regressed just through age, injuries and overuse,” said Enamait last summer after Taylor beat Amanda Serrano for the third time. “She did this at 39-years-old.”

There is no doubt science is also at the forefront of career longevity. GPS monitors, even in amateur sports, are commonplace. Training loads to become stronger and fitter are no longer guesswork, with fatigue identification and management disciplines as important as pushing weights.

Sleep, hydration, nutrition, flexibility, attitude, mental health and downtime – they are all constituent parts of a complex matrix. Different for every athlete.

LeBron has spoken about the joy of playing and mentoring others. Serena Williams looks to her dogmatic self-belief. In 2017, she discovered she was pregnant two days before the Australian Open, then won it.

With Taylor, it’s history, breaking down barriers and legacy.

Staying humble, being “a road warrior” and “functioning under pressure” were guiding principles for Roger Federer, who retired from tennis at 41, while O’Sullivan, who has spoken about his mental health struggles, finds joy in running.

There will be more like last weekend. Djokovic looking towards Wimbledon, Taylor seeking a last professional fight in Croke Park and Rose still clings to a childhood dream of golf’s Grand Slam.

Far from fantasy, it’s those thoughts that keep them young.

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