The Courts seem marginally faster this year..

[fed_is_GOD]

Watching the sam stosur match I feel that the courts are a little faster this year.. what do you guys think??

[Ico]

I agree, and these are the ladies playing. I want to see Fed's shots on this court.

[fed_is_GOD]

If this asian woman can hit winners left right and center.. it is not hard ti imagine what federer can do..

[Prisoner of Birth]

Originally Posted by fed_is_GOD

If this asian woman can hit winners left right and center.. it is not hard ti imagine what federer can do..

Women can't get to balls like the men can so whether or not it is fast remains to be seen. I wanna see how the Berdych 1st Round match goes.

[augustobt]

Just a little. Seems slower than '08, that wasn't even close of the (slow) Rebound Ace.

[Irrelevant]

I was actually thinking this too after watching the Almagro/Johnson match. Definitely just a slight bit faster.

[Clarky21]

I hope so. It has been so slow over the last few years that it's been unbearable.

[Bartelby]

Might be conditions rather than the court. Check it out at night when it's slower for a real assessment.

[Vrad]

Do the hard courts slow down like Wimbledon does, over the course of the tournament? Obviously it wouldn't slow down as much as the grass, but I am sure there is some wear?

[Clarky21]

Originally Posted by Vrad

Do the hard courts slow down like Wimbledon does, over the course of the tournament? Obviously it wouldn't slow down as much as the grass, but I am sure there is some wear?

I think that hard courts can actually speed up with a little wear on them. It smoothes out some of the grit in them that slows them down.

[President]

Originally Posted by Clarky21

I think that hard courts can actually speed up with a little wear on them. It smoothes out some of the grit in them that slows them down.

Correct. That's why hard courts need to be resurfaced, too much wear on them and they become so slick and fast that it's actually tough to play.

[Bobby Jr]

Originally Posted by Clarky21

I think that hard courts can actually speed up with a little wear on them. It smoothes out some of the grit in them that slows them down.

They'd only slow a minuscule amount over the course of a tournament but a lot more over the year depending on use. As I understand Melbourne resurfaces the courts annually so it would be easy for them make small adjustments or have them happen no matter the intention. They're actually not as easy to adjust as people think - the heat/humidity when the final surface is being applied can affect how it ends up even.

That said, the balls can make just as much difference to how a court plays - as the 2011 French Open showed when the Babolat balls were particularly quick when new.

[rodrigoamaral]

i agree.. look out for the big servers!!

[jaggy]

Uncle Tony didnt bother to use his influence this year

[Disgruntled Worker]

These threads make me laugh. As if anyone on this forum would know how "marginally fast" the Australian Open courts are.

[nikdom]

Originally Posted by jaggy

Uncle Tony didnt bother to use his influence this year

I'm sure the blue court was why he had his nephew pull out of the tournament.

[albatros_forehand]

Seems quite a lot faster from last year. Heard Berdych saying they didn't paint the courts and that it plays real fast in hot conditions. Well well..

[Bartelby]

You really need the players's views on this issue.

[kalyan4fedever]

I feel the courts are same as last years ao, see how slow the ball reaches the player after the bounce

[Raz11]

Jim Courier says the balls are lighter this year. That explains why it seems a bit faster than before.