It was the traditional surface for lawn tennis, but grass no longer has the same space in the calendar and courts around the world. With th...
It was the traditional surface for lawn tennis, but grass no longer has the same space in the calendar and courts around the world. With the grasscourt season reduced to about a month – just two weeks before Wimbledon till 2014 – and only a handful of competitions, the surface and the specialists are both limited.
Originally, three of the four Grand Slams were held on grass, but the US Open changed its surface from grass to clay in 1975 and then to hard court in 1978 while the Australian Open changed to hard court in 1988.
Yet, grass occupies a special place in tennis, success on it is often associated with bigger things and Wimbledon is still considered the most prestigious event to win. Many of the skills needed to excel on grass are of a vintage nature: a zinging serve, soft touch at the net, ability to serve and volley.
While it has increasingly become a more level field in the modern game, the fast-moving surface does reward attacking tennis and a smoother style of play. Wimbledon even has a separate formula to seed players based on grass-court form to distinguish performances on the surface.
Clay champions: From Evert’s dominance to Henin’s hat-trick,...Read more
