Over the last decade two main seasons of tennis have emerged and now in the last few years - these have been more or less fixed in place. They are the slow court season and the medium paced court season (fast court tennis has disappeared).
Slow Court Season
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It starts at the beginning of the Australian Open - with its very slow hard court. Its very hard to hit penetrating winners on the surface, the bounce allowing players to run down balls. It continues with other slow hard court events like Indian Well and Miami. The clay court season continues the slow court season ending in the French Open.
The Medium paced Season
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Starting with the Wimbledon and its warms up events. This medium paced season now suits players who can be strong hitters from the base line with the variety to volley if approaching on strokes that put an opponent in a stretched position. North American Outdoor hard court season follows with the US Open being the culmination. European and Asian Indoor hard court (not carpet) used to be much faster - but has slowed radically. Until 2010 the stand out fast court event used to be the paris indoor but in 2011 it too went the way of radical slow down.
Fast courts have been slowed radically. Indoor carpet has disappeared. Even the season end finals is only fast when compared to the slow court season. Hence, nothing can be considered fast.
So what kind of tennis player excels in this climate of slow and medium paced tenis. Players who can return well and are able to run down every ball. And players who can penetrate with Ground stokes to put opponents in weaker position. The problem is most of the top ten do that very well. This expands the duration of individual points radically.
My only question is why? Why did faster court tennis get sacrificed so completely and utterly. I didn't want only fast court tennis. I actually wanted a variety. But I didn't what the extinction of an entire brand of tennis.
If you really want to understand why Federer didn't win the Australian Open - it is due to the above. (Why the Australian's, with their history of serve and volley, have meekly surrended to the slow court juggernaut machine - I just don't know).
Slow Court Season
--------------------
It starts at the beginning of the Australian Open - with its very slow hard court. Its very hard to hit penetrating winners on the surface, the bounce allowing players to run down balls. It continues with other slow hard court events like Indian Well and Miami. The clay court season continues the slow court season ending in the French Open.
The Medium paced Season
---------------------------
Starting with the Wimbledon and its warms up events. This medium paced season now suits players who can be strong hitters from the base line with the variety to volley if approaching on strokes that put an opponent in a stretched position. North American Outdoor hard court season follows with the US Open being the culmination. European and Asian Indoor hard court (not carpet) used to be much faster - but has slowed radically. Until 2010 the stand out fast court event used to be the paris indoor but in 2011 it too went the way of radical slow down.
Fast courts have been slowed radically. Indoor carpet has disappeared. Even the season end finals is only fast when compared to the slow court season. Hence, nothing can be considered fast.
So what kind of tennis player excels in this climate of slow and medium paced tenis. Players who can return well and are able to run down every ball. And players who can penetrate with Ground stokes to put opponents in weaker position. The problem is most of the top ten do that very well. This expands the duration of individual points radically.
My only question is why? Why did faster court tennis get sacrificed so completely and utterly. I didn't want only fast court tennis. I actually wanted a variety. But I didn't what the extinction of an entire brand of tennis.
If you really want to understand why Federer didn't win the Australian Open - it is due to the above. (Why the Australian's, with their history of serve and volley, have meekly surrended to the slow court juggernaut machine - I just don't know).
