When a 10-time Grand Slam champion speaks, people usually listen.So why won’t people listen to Lisa

Raymond when she says there is no timetable for her retirement from the game she loves?

 

"People ask me about it all the time," said Raymond, 38. "Who knows? I don’t have any answer. If I can stay healthy and keep at it, I think I can be successful."

 

By winning the U.S. Open women’s doubles title alongside Liezel Huber this past September, Raymond orchestrated one of the great comebacks in tennis history. She surprised plenty of people – including herself – after a stretch of three years without a Grand Slam title.

 

"Honestly, did I see myself playing at this age? Absolutely not," she said. "But I still love the game and I feel like I have so much left in me. There’s no reason for me to stop playing."

 

Especially since Raymond is still having fun. Watch her on the court, and that’s one of the first things you’ll notice. Watch her when a match ends, and you’ll see the endless line of people gravitating to her – people she has met and impacted in so many ways throughout her career.

 

For someone with titles in all four Grand Slams, she stays humble, down to earth and connected with the community and the game. Last summer, while playing with the Philadelphia Freedoms, Raymond spent time with up and-coming American Beatrice Capra. Now a freshman at Duke, Capra said Raymond’s presence throughout the summer was as positive an influence as she could have asked for. "She helped me with my game overall: my approach, the mental part of the game and just all-around," said Capra. "It was a great influence to play with and be around someone like her."

 

That role is one Raymond gladly takes. "I absolutely look to help out like that," Raymond said. "If I can help out some young players with my experience – whether its technically or about a situation or a career – I love to help them out. Especially when they’re as nice and appreciative as Beatrice was." Raymond, a former national champion at the University of Florida, said she could see herself returning to World TeamTennis in 2012, and she once again has her sights set high for the year, even after accomplishing so much.

 

"The Slams are the biggest goal," she said, "but an Olympic medal is something I’ve never had before. That would be pretty awesome to be able to compete for my country and medal." "The older you get, the more these accolades mean to you. You don’t know if you’ll ever be in these positions again. I’m excited, though, because I think there is still more to come."

 

After winning the 2011 US Open doubles title, Raymond wrote an essay about her sixth Grand Slam title for ESPNW. See what she had to say clicking here.