Have Tennis Surfaces Really Slowed Down? What Does This Mean for Tennis?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 10, 2010

commentComment        

This issue first piqued my interest when I read the official book for Wimbledon 2001. On the summary of the top eight seeds pre-tournament form, the second seed, Andre Agassi, was said to have had a greater chance of winning Wimbledon then than in the '90s because the surface had been slowed down.

I was perplexed, the courts had slowed down?

When I joined Bleacher Report, both Federer and Rafa fans alike referred to the slowing surfaces, one group with fervent belief and the other with complete and utter scepticism.

I was a skeptic.

Why would they slow down the courts?

Upon conducting further research (thank God for Google!) I found a video from the BBC during its coverage of the 2008 Wimbledon Tournament.

My apologies if this has been shown or mentioned before, I just thought a few people might want to see this as I'm sure there are still people out there who don't believe they've slowed the courts and the balls (forward to 6:20).

Both are the same speed but when they reach the baseline, the ball from 2008 was nine miles slower than the ball from 2003 and was also higher, making it easier to return balls and play from the baseline, “something Nadal had taken advantage of on that afternoon”

Even the players feel the change:

“Larry recognized there is a change in the game,” Roddick said. “It seems like everything is slowing down a little bit as far as surface and balls, and therefore you see a lot more guys dependent upon their running ability and their legs.”

So I was forced to believe that the courts had actually slowed since 2001.

But the next question that came to me was: How does this affect tennis?

Well for a start, Roger Federer’s loosened grip on Wimbledon can now be explained further. It came to me that as he had gotten older, Roger Federer had not lost at Wimbledon simpl...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!