Speed Of The Courts Becomes A Major Topic At Melbourne, Rafa Is Not Happy

Written by: Bob Larson Tennis on 14th January 2014

Speed Of The Courts Becomes A Major Topic At Melbourne, Rafa Is Not Happy

epa04020399 Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts to a point against Bernard Tomic of Australia on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 14 January 2014. EPA/MARK DADSWELL AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND OUT |

The biggest debate of the Australian Open so far centers on the speed of the courts laid at Melbourne Park. World no.1 Rafael Nadal insists they are much faster and believes the change is not a good thing while defending champion Novak Djokovic maintains the change is minimal.

Nadal of course missed last year’s event with knee problems but complained: “The courts are completely different than what I remembered of this tournament. These are faster conditions than I ever played here in Australia. I really don’t understand very well why they change because the last couple of years, Australian Open had amazing matching, long ones, good ones for the crowd.

“I don’t know why the people who decide to make the conditions that fast. I am not sure for the show is the best thing. But they decide and I’m just a player to try to be competitive from the beginning.”

But Djokovic countered: “For me the court, Rod Laver Arena, is the same like last year. Last year it was slightly faster comparing to the years before, but not any major difference. Anything more significant than that, I would notice.

“Generally speaking, all the tournaments throughout the season, they’re slower than they used to be 15, 20 or 30 years ago when they played most of the Grand Slams on grass courts. Now you have hard courts that are slower than they used to be.

“I think it’s fine having the diversity, the different speed of the court, different countries, different tournaments. It’s normal to expect because the conditions affect the speed that the ball travels through the air and the surface itself.”

Former Wimbledon champion and Australian no.1 Pat Cash applauded the change and said: “Finally sense prevails at the Australian Open. Now attacking play will be rewarded, and for me there will hopefully be a move towards something that’s almost become extinct in the modern game; variety. Let’s not beat about the bush here; tennis is not a sport solely for back-court players.”

Cash revealed two years ago he made a plea to Steve Wood, then Tennis Australia’s chief executive, and Craig Tiley, the Australian Open tournament director who now has assumed both titles.

Writing in his Sunday Times column Cash said: “I went to see them and came straight to the point, telling them what they were doing was ridiculous. The courts were getting rougher and slower and within ten or so hits of the rackets, the balls were getting severely fluffed up. I do not exaggerate when I say they became 10% bigger and therefore significantly slower through the air.

“At the time Wood and Tiley looked at me as if I was somebody who had just landed from Mars but I must have struck some kind of nerve because this year the surface has been speeded up and the balls they will be using don’t fluff up as much.

“The entertainment value was suffering because good shots and attacking tactics weren’t being rewarded. And I think I know that’s what the Aussie tennis public has been brought up wanting to see. Many crave the old days of serve and volley but the minimum is at least some ventures towards the net. At long last advancing forward and looking for the volley potentially appears a winning tactic again.”

Topics: 10sballs, Australian Open, Melbourne, Novak Djokovic, Pat Cash, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News