Speed is of the essence

Written by: Staff on 10th November 2010

Speed is of the essence

Andy Murray (GBR) |

The French have always prided themselves on being the leaders of fashion – if it ain’t French, it ain’t chic. And if it ain’t chic, it ain’t worth having.

So, after seasons of letting the ATP homogenise the court surfaces around the world, the French have broken free at the BNP Paribas Masters. Instead of the old, slow, regulation court, the surface that allows baseliners to set up camp and battle on for days (it is always a worry when the Spaniards turn up carrying a month’s supply of sandwiches and a tent), the French have laid a super-slick centre court for the final Masters event of the year. The effect has been dramatic and, for some of the lads in the locker room, a huge relief.

There was a time when the seasons of the year were marked by the change in court surface: the spring was slow on clay, the summer was fast on grass, the beginning of autumn was medium paced on cement and the winter was lightning-fast indoors. As a result, different styles of play won different titles at different times of year – everyone had their chance to show off their own, unique talents. Alas, these days, everyone tends to play the same way on the same courts and no one really dares to be different.

But after whistling past Jarkko Nieminen 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round in Paris, Andy Roddick was loving every minute of life in the French capital. Now, he was rewarded for serving big; now even he could have a little fun at the net.

“You opponents have less time to return,” he explained. “If you actually stick a volley you get rewarded. So the fact that everything has slowed down has a lot to do with the fact that you don’t see a lot of serve and volley anymore.

“Different things bring different rewards, and I think that’s the way it should be sometimes. I selfishly would like it all the time like that, but I think it’s good to kind of maybe showcase a bit of a difference every once in a while.

“I like a little bit of mix. I believe it’s become so monotonous as far as what you get. Grass is slow and indoors has turned slow. So I think fair is fair. It feels like there is a slow court available nine months a year. There is. I mean, you can go play clay after Wimbledon for God’s sakes. You can have slow, but I don’t think it should be a big deal when there’s something fast, too.”

Given that he now plays Ernests Gulbis, a man who has never shied away from attempting to knock holes in the court with his serve, Roddick should get his reward today – the serve-fest will certainly provide something a bit different for the crowd at the Palais Omnisports.

Andy Murray, too, was enjoying the conditions. Well, he was after he got over the shock of his opening set against David Nalbandian. Last time these two met, Scotland’s finest was the aggressor and dominated the match from the very start. Nalbandian – a smart bloke – had obviously remembered this and took the fight to Murray on Wednesday. It was the Argentine who was stepping into the baseline and clattering his shots and it was the Argentine who was racing forward at every opportunity.

With the match slipping away from him, Murray went for broke. He served better, he attacked more and in a little under two hours, he emerged the winner 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Winning the doubles title in Valencia with his brother, Jamie, last week, had obviously honed Murray’s volleying skills and he was in blistering form at the net. Like Roddick, he was enjoying the chance to play on a court with a bit of fizz and pep.

“I volleyed really well,” Murray said with a hint of pride. “I felt really comfortable up at net. I hadn’t played that much doubles this year, but it does help, especially when you play quite a few matches in a row. On this surface, if you do serve and volley, you will get quite a lot of reward.”

The only slight worry for Murray was his right wrist. He pulled up short in the third set having hit what appeared to be an innocuous shot. Immediately calling for the trainer, he was not willing to play another stroke until he had been given the all-clear. After suffering a serious wrist injury in 2007, one that cost him 2 ½ months of the season, he was not willing to take any chances. But after getting the once-over from the medics, he was back in business and back to walloping Nalbandian all over the court. They breed ‘em tough in Dunblane.

Topics: Andy Roddick, Atp, Beginning Of Autumn, Bnp Paribas, Bnp Paribas Masters, Cement, Court Surface, Court Surfaces, Different Styles, Different Things, Different Times, French Capital, Jarkko Nieminen, Lads, Locker Room, Loving Every Minute, Opponents, Sandwiches, Seasons Of The Year, Serve And Volley