Just how different are the hardcourts at the Australian Open compared to the hardcourts at the US Open? Enough to be considered different surfaces?

[Crazy Finn]

There's weird and then there's 2020 USO.

This thread is USO 2020.

 

[Born_to_slice]

Check the cpi. Plexi v greenset is so different.

Different manufacturers but all HC are cushioned acrylic. Speed is easily changed with amount of sand, regardless of the brand. AO was still plexi in 2017 and that was pretty fast court. Also, speed will vary depending on balls, temperature and humidity.

 

[Beckerserve]

Different manufacturers but all HC are cushioned acrylic. Speed is easily changed with amount of sand, regardless of the brand. AO was still plexi in 2017 and that was pretty fast court. Also, speed will vary depending on balls, temperature and humidity.

USO is not cushioned or acrylic.

 

[fishpiefriday]

Nadal would have lost them all if the AO stayed with grass, but as it is one AO is a pitiful accomplishment.

How can any Grand Slam be seriously described as being a 'pitiful accomplishment'?

 

[beard]

The 2012 Australian was one of the greatest matches ever played. Either player could have won.

It was abdolutely dead even. Rafa was even ahead big in the fifth.

Yet we are supposed to beleive that Rafa is suddenly Djoker's patsy at the Australian Open.

Wrong!

Same stands for RG 2013

 

[beard]

In terms of legacy they can be considered roughly same. It's not a problem to just say Novak has 12 hard court slams or Rafa has 5 or whatever. It only makes a difference for us über obsessed tennis dorks that want to talk about humidity levels and air flow compared to grit of the sand grain in the paint. For 99% of the world, a hard court is a hard court. There are differences, but not giant differences.

The point in making a differentiation is helpful when we're talking about predictions. Don't watch Novak's performance on Sunday and think it's an indicator of how the US Open will go. And don't trick yourself every January into thinking Nadal's going to win it because of what happened in New York.

I don't think it's all about type of surface... I think other things are way more important, first of all its part of the season, where AO is on the beginning while USO is at the end of slam season... Temperature is another reason... Luck is very important too, where Novak was little of lucky at AO and unlucky at USO, while for Nadal it stands opposite...
Novak proved that he can play great at any type of hard courts...

 

[beard]

Nobody questions it because of the 2020 RG slaughter. and humiliation. Both players were healthy. What is your excuse for that?

Rafa was injured at 2015 RG. Other than that, Djoker has never been competitive at RG against Rafa. Not even close.

2013?

 

[Start da Game]

i wouldn't call them different surfaces like clay and grass........they are still hardcourts retain all the basic characteristics of a hardcourt at the end of the day........just different mixture of materials used........to me historically decoturf-2 seemed faster except for 2011 edition when their paint job went horribly wrong impacting the surface speed........

plexicushion looked medium fast when it was first introduced in 2008 but in 2012 wonder what they did it played slow as hell, rafa would have won that title had it played a bit faster than that or at least it was a day match........people don't understand rafa's game, he likes fast playing hardcourts, not the slow types........

 

[Bartelby]

For someone who has 20 then 1 is 5%. For Nadal that's not very good. For others, one is a brilliant accomplishment.

How can any Grand Slam be seriously described as being a 'pitiful accomplishment'?

 

[fishpiefriday]

For someone who has 20 then 1 is 5%. For Nadal that's not very good. For others, one is a brilliant accomplishment.

I'm not sure I agree with you tbh. I wouldn't view Federer or Djokovic's solitary French Open as a pitiful achievement.

 

[Bartelby]

A little bit of rhetorical exaggeration was for the benefit of the Nadal tragic I was replying to about the surfaces.

He clearly thinks that something is wrong with the AO surface and implies that this explains Nadal's solitary slam there.

I'm not sure I agree with you tbh. I wouldn't view Federer or Djokovic's solitary French Open as a pitiful achievement.

 

[Born_to_slice]

USO is not cushioned or acrylic.

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[Bartelby]

Both the AO and the USO are played on cushioned acrylic hardcourts. The extent of the cushioning n the respective layers is probably a commercial secret.