The crowning event of Tennis’ clay court season is the
French Open. This Major tournament is one of four Grand Slams available to the
world’s elite.
The red clay of Roland Garos is a far different prospect
than the grass of Wimbledon or the hard court
surface at Flushing Meadows.
Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a much higher
bounce than grass or hard courts. To win this event, though, it takes a certain
type of player.
Clay courts are affected most by the weather. When it is
cool and humid the court is more sluggish, however, when the temperature is
warm and conditions are humid the clay hardens up making the surface quicker.
Since 2002 the tournament has been dominated by Spanish and
Argentinean players with Rafael Nadal picking up a record eight championships.
Players from these backgrounds play a lot of clay court tennis from a young age
so are accustomed to the trials and tribulations of Roland Garos.
Nowadays, players are exposed to the clay from a young age
due to Tennis academies around the world. So what it is that allows these
players to have a significant advantage? There is a certain style of play that
is necessary.
Those who stay deep in the court and rarely advance to the
net have dominated the clay for a while now, this style is called ‘baseline’.
With the slow surface, serve and volley specialists have their advantages
nullified. The baseliner has the time to react to the heavy serve and so more
points are decided with a rally.
There is always room for a big serve, but with serves being
easier to return players can not be as one dimensional.
It would be disrespectful to label Pete Sampras as one
dimensional, a player who boasts 14 Grand Slam titles, but he was not with out
weaknesses. An example of his limitations in his was the inability to win the
French Open.
The French open was the one Major that alluded Sampras
Sampras had a more direct approach, which did not suit the
clay. Sampras was unable to hit as many winners or Aces and so was not as
potent. His net game was also rendered ineffective; opponents had more time to
deal with the six feet one frame of the American.
Sampras also used to hit the ball flatter than baseliners
such as Rafael Nadal. Without the ball skidding on, like it does on hard courts,
flat strokes are not as effective as heavy topspin shots.
What is needed in a player is the ability hit the ball with
as much topspin as possible. This will make opponents have to take shots at an
increased height, often above shoulder height, which is far more difficult than
when the ball is lower.
It is also crucial to be able to counter the top spin if an
opponent adds an unplayable amount on. Slice shots are used to counter this.
They are necessary to balance out the spin making it easier to control the
accuracy of the stroke.
With longer points move around the court is more important.
Athleticism and speed are crucial attributes to be successful. The likes of
Guillermo Coria and David Ferrer have relied heavily on this aspect. Neither is
blessed with strong ground strokes, however, their stamina, agility and
sharpness around the court more than make up for this.
These players are shorter than average tennis players, both
at five feet nine. Serving is not as important on the clay, as stated earlier,
and these two are testament to this.
With his exceptional physique and style of play there is no
wonder that Rafael Nadal has been nicknamed the ‘King of Clay’. He has all the
attributes to dominate all comers. It will take a monumental effort for anyone
to dethrone him this year.
