Ideally, there should be 3 clay, grass, hard court masters...plus carpet/wood WTF

Totally fantasy thread since it would take a miracle for this to happen and they'd have to change schedules and tournaments to make it happen.

So after that thread about possibly losing a clay court Masters 1000 and obviously people being divided on the topic, it got me thinking. Why not have 3 clay Masters, 3 grass masters, 3 hard court masters? It seems much fairer that way. Have slower and faster variations of each surface and it adds even more variety. Make the WTF wood/carpet and it gets even better. Schedule is already messy in a way (2 hard court Masters now in Miami/Indian wells right after AO, and just before clay Masters huh? yes that is fantastic preparation for that major ... rolls eyes...).

What do you guys think? Obvs this seems like an alternate universe but it's fair to all types if players (grass enthusiast are absolutely screwed with the reality of the situation now, how can the original surface be least represented?!)
 
Those that have played Virtua Tennis 3 remember the court you face Duke and King on? That majestic, indoors looking carpet court...yeah thats how a WTF should be played...literary a stadium fit for champions if champions
 

tennisplayer1993

Professional
Yeah I wish they had some grass masters, I love watching tennis on grass more than any other surface.

I do admit that watching the clay season each year bores me to death. I tend to follow from July to December (grass court season, summer US open series, US open, asian masters/touranments end of the year, WTF)

My favorite Masters to watch at the moment are Cincinnati and Paris (I don't know why but I used to watch ATP Masters Paris in Bercy a lot in 2000-2004, I loved watching safin win it 3 times during that time period). The environment at the Paris Masters I like as well.
 

Hood_Man

G.O.A.T.
I'm actually ok with the short grass season, it makes it seem quaint and special, and just so different to the rest of the season.

One more week of grass wouldn't go amiss though.
 

Lukhas

Legend
More grass? Okay. Less (slow) HC? Okay. Carpet? My knees say thanks but no thanks. There's a good reason that surface was banned by the ATP.
 

tennisplayer1993

Professional
Yeah, I just grew up watching tennis mostly in the summer (beginning of grass court season) due to school work. I just wish they have a grass masters with the laser fast grass courts from the 1990s but we all know that will never happen in today's game :(
 
Ok if not carpet some other alternative surface...or they can rotate the surface every 4 years (4 years of clay, 4 years of grass, 4 years of carpet)
 

WhiskeyEE

G.O.A.T.
AO - 1 Slow HC masters
2 Clay masters - RG
2 Grass masters - Wimby
2 Fast HC masters - USO
2 Indoor HC masters - WTF
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
AO - 1 Slow HC masters
2 Clay masters - RG
2 Grass masters - Wimby
2 Fast HC masters - USO
2 Indoor HC masters - WTF

Sounds good. Certain players have their own favorite surface and with variety of surface and condition(fast/slow) gives all of them a fair chance of winning Master Series. Right now, the 9 Master Series favor more for the player who likes to play grinding/defensive type game. Even the WTF isn't fast anymore.
 

BlueB

Legend
Ideally, there should be one, standardised surface. The one that gives uniform bounce and predictable foot grip/slip. The one where you don't get dirty. The one where animals don't come to graze. The one that's easy to maintain. The one that's easy to put in a public park or school. The one that juniors have the easiest access to.
Medium speed, medium bounce hard court.
 

tennis_hack

Banned
Totally fantasy thread since it would take a miracle for this to happen and they'd have to change schedules and tournaments to make it happen.

So after that thread about possibly losing a clay court Masters 1000 and obviously people being divided on the topic, it got me thinking. Why not have 3 clay Masters, 3 grass masters, 3 hard court masters? It seems much fairer that way. Have slower and faster variations of each surface and it adds even more variety. Make the WTF wood/carpet and it gets even better. Schedule is already messy in a way (2 hard court Masters now in Miami/Indian wells right after AO, and just before clay Masters huh? yes that is fantastic preparation for that major ... rolls eyes...).

What do you guys think? Obvs this seems like an alternate universe but it's fair to all types if players (grass enthusiast are absolutely screwed with the reality of the situation now, how can the original surface be least represented?!)

Masters are not preparation tournaments for Slams, they are tournaments in their own right.
 
Masters are not preparation tournaments for Slams, they are tournaments in their own right.

It actually is, thats why the extra week has been incorporated to more of the MS1000, all the hoopla about surfaces being similar before a slam and remember the big stink about the balls at RG being different the other year....
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Ideally, there should be one, standardised surface. The one that gives uniform bounce and predictable foot grip/slip. The one where you don't get dirty. The one where animals don't come to graze. The one that's easy to maintain. The one that's easy to put in a public park or school. The one that juniors have the easiest access to.
Medium speed, medium bounce hard court.

No, the charm of sports like golf, tennis and cricket is the variety of locations and surfaces.
 

droliver

Professional
A few problems with the OP

1. there aren't venues to support multiple grass court masters events. Most grass courts now reside in small private clubs. The surface is also pretty much going extinct worldwide as they are too difficult to maintain in playable condition. The abbreviated season we have now is about right for the marginal role the surface has.

2. Ditto for carpet. It's a bad surface that's increasingly vanishing as a place anyone plays. None of the players are clamoring for this either as it's notoriously hard on the body. Also, the quality of the tennis is generally poor for a spectator sport. It's a step backwards from the type of tennis most of the audience prefers.

3. As we are getting more concerned with the grind of the tour and player longevity/injuries, I'd be interested in the return of Rubico green clay courts for the USO. Much easier on the body and it plays as different from the terre battue red clay as the USO & Australian hard courts vary. It's a very widely used surface in the United States and would not be inappropriate to replace cement for our nations grand slam.

4. If Rubico green clay at the USO is a non-starter, at least it would make sense to consider using it for Indian Wells and/or Miami as we start the clay court season. It would be a distinctly different surface challenge from the Monaco-Spain-Rome-Paris and make the post Australian Open swing more distinctive in character.
 
I'm actually ok with the short grass season, it makes it seem quaint and special, and just so different to the rest of the season.

One more week of grass wouldn't go amiss though.
More grass and more clay. On par with hard court. There used to be a time when most tournaments were played on grass. Grass is expensive to keep, and the ATP are a miserly bunch.
 

syc23

Professional
More grass and more clay. On par with hard court. There used to be a time when most tournaments were played on grass. Grass is expensive to keep, and the ATP are a miserly bunch.

Fot that reason, as long as Wimbledon remains a grass event, it makes it the most prestigious slam on the tennis calender.
 
N

NadalAgassi

Guest
I actually agree with the OP for once. Too many hard court events, it leads to alot of these injuries we are seeing. Grass and clay are both easier on the body and an even mix of all rather than 70% of the tour being hard courts would cut down on these injuries, and also create a more balanced tour environment. Once the tour was so grass heavy and almost no hard courts, and now it is the opposite (with clay being the only surface that through tennis history has always remained relevant).
 

BlueB

Legend
I agree. Wimbledon and Roland Garros in that order, based on history alone. Hard Court is a modern tennis anomaly.
Welcome to the modern world.
Natural surfaces are the rellics of the past and completely unnecessary. They should be phased out, just like the wooden racquets or white balls.

Artificial grass could be an answer for maintenance and uniformity. But, why would you want the ball to skid instead of bounce? If one wanted to watch serve and volley only, nothing beats badminton.

Clay could be replaced by Tartan, like in athletics.
 
Compared to a dive on a HC?

I have dived on hard courts, clay, and carpet, and the worst is carpet. Then imagine small shards of nylon giving you the nastiest friction burn ever.

Now to be honest I haven't played on Astroturf, but after seeing a friend (who plays hand-egg) get a sweet burn from it, I can draw some conclusions.
 
Welcome to the modern world.
Natural surfaces are the rellics of the past and completely unnecessary. They should be phased out, just like the wooden racquets or white balls.

Artificial grass could be an answer for maintenance and uniformity. But, why would you want the ball to skid instead of bounce? If one wanted to watch serve and volley only, nothing beats badminton.

Clay could be replaced by Tartan, like in athletics.
I don't like the modern world. Teletypes and airships are things of the devil.
 
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