What makes a good grass court player?

[La Grande]

..or a good clay court player.. or a good hard court player.

Why is Andy suited to the grass? or does he just tend to play better because Queen's and Wimbledon are in the UK (majority cheering for him).

Why is Novak suited to hard courts? Why is Rafa suited to the clay?

Players with big serves are usually good on grass because the serve is more of a weapon, as grass is faster. What are the other variables?

Also, maybe a player plays better on hard courts purely because they happen to have had success on it and that gives them confidence going forward?

I would like to know what people think makes a certain player suitable to a certain surface.

Thoughts?

 

[kiki]

current grass or classic grass just for starters?

 

[President]

Ability to return tough serves, ability to hit tough serves, ability to take the ball early, compact swing/less time needed to hit the ball, ability to deal with bad bounces, good anticipation, good volleying skills, good footspeed to track down the ball which shoots faster through the court, a good slice, and last but certainly not least the ability to move well on grass. These attributes all help on this surface.

 

[Inanimate_object]

Most importantly, sure footing.

 

[chicagodude]

Ability to return tough serves, ability to hit tough serves, ability to take the ball early, compact swing/less time needed to hit the ball, ability to deal with bad bounces, good anticipation, good volleying skills, good footspeed to track down the ball which shoots faster through the court, a good slice, and last but certainly not least the ability to move well on grass. These attributes all help on this surface.

Yeah pretty much this, like to add that you need to be able to get low and handle low bouncing balls.
In terms of movement, of course speed to track down balls, but also footing in terms of being able to change direction on the somewhat slippery grass.

For these reasons I am not that confident as some others that e.g. Wawrinka can win Wimbledon. To me he seems to need too much setup time for his stroke, plus he is relatively poor at handling low bouncing balls. ALso exactly the reasons why the AO and FO are the ost suitable slams for him.

 

[chicagodude]

Clay: endurance, great defense, low UE rate/consistency ability to hit balls with lots of spin, sliding skills.

Edit: as my first tennis club happened to have clay courts, I have a special fondness and natural attraction to playing on the surface, too bad I haven't found any clay courts in Chicago

Oh I do think that being able to create acute angles is incredibly helpful (obviously easier if you have great topspin ability).

 

[Flash O'Groove]

Yeah pretty much this, like to add that you need to be able to get low and handle low bouncing balls.
In terms of movement, of course speed to track down balls, but also footing in terms of being able to change direction on the somewhat slippery grass.

For these reasons I am not that confident as some others that e.g. Wawrinka can win Wimbledon. To me he seems to need too much setup time for his stroke, plus he is relatively poor at handling low bouncing balls. ALso exactly the reasons why the AO and FO are the ost suitable slams for him.

Wawrinka will be very vulnerable on grass as you said, but he still has a strong serve, big groundstrokes which will be hard to control on grass, and a good slice and all court game. In fact he can be as good as Tsonga during his serving game, but he has become a better player and will do better in the rallies. Last year I think he could have beaten Federer if he had been more fresh (he played three days in a row).

Obviously Djokovic, Murray and Federer are more favorite than him. He can also lose to anyone else. But that's true for all the other players, so who know?

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Sampras was a boss on grass. Wish they had the 90s grass back again.

 

[kiki]

Sampras was a boss on grass. Wish they had the 90s grass back again.

that is why I pointed out which kind of grass do we talk about

 

[La Grande]

that is why I pointed out which kind of grass do we talk about

Talk about current day grass.

Btw, was 90's grass much much faster?

 

[Rock Strongo]

Talk about current day grass.

Btw, was 90's grass much much faster?

Much faster, but not much much faster.

I've played on a grass court that was "much much faster". Not even 10 years of carpet could've prepared me for that. It was old Wimby grass turned up to 11.

 

[La Grande]

Yeah pretty much this, like to add that you need to be able to get low and handle low bouncing balls.
In terms of movement, of course speed to track down balls, but also footing in terms of being able to change direction on the somewhat slippery grass.

For these reasons I am not that confident as some others that e.g. Wawrinka can win Wimbledon. To me he seems to need too much setup time for his stroke, plus he is relatively poor at handling low bouncing balls. ALso exactly the reasons why the AO and FO are the ost suitable slams for him.

Is the USO seen as "fast" ? or just faster than AO.. so like "medium" ?

 

[dgold44]

It used to be very distinct.

Grass- Favored super athletic players who had big serves and would crush the net.

Clay- Favored baseline guys who could grind it out all day long.

Today it seems everything is blurred

 

[La Grande]

It used to be very distinct.

Grass- Favored super athletic players who had big serves and would crush the net.

Clay- Favored baseline guys who could grind it out all day long.

Today it seems everything is blurred

When did the lines start to blur?

 

[tennisaddict]

When did the lines start to blur?

When Federer started winning majors.

 

[La Grande]

When Federer started winning majors.

Haha shame.. he is still an animal on fast surfaces (as rare as they are) - see Shanghai 2014. That performance was beautiful

 

[La Grande]

How about clay.. what makes a good clay courter? Consistent groundies and good movement?

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Footwork and movement imo.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

I remember Agassi discussing how he would prepare for the clay season, and its stark contrast to grass season.

He did a lot of upper body work in the gym for clay, really built his upper body strength for the clay. A lot of shoulder presses, and upper back work. Hitting balls shoulder high.

For grass, more lower body work. He did a lot of weighted lunges, and played a lot of balls in a partial lunge position.

 

[NatF]

A good return game is important for grass, everyone holds serve easier so you need to be able to break. Or be that damn clutch in tiebreaks.

 

[nguyentuanson16792]

Big serve, fast reaction, good slice, passing shot, one hander

 

[urban]

Second serve, backhand return, deep first volley.

 

[nguyentuanson16792]

..or a good clay court player.. or a good hard court player.

Why is Andy suited to the grass? or does he just tend to play better because Queen's and Wimbledon are in the UK (majority cheering for him).

Why is Novak suited to hard courts? Why is Rafa suited to the clay?

Players with big serves are usually good on grass because the serve is more of a weapon, as grass is faster. What are the other variables?

Also, maybe a player plays better on hard courts purely because they happen to have had success on it and that gives them confidence going forward?

I would like to know what people think makes a certain player suitable to a certain surface.

Thoughts?

Andy Murray is NOT suit for grass. PROOF?
1 Del Potro helped him win two big titles on grass
2 He has poor 2nd serve
3 He is mostly a pusher

Djokovic is suitable for SLOW hardcourt ( Australian Open) be cause he has good serve, he can grind, he can also produce some volleys

Nadal is suit for Clay be cause he has powerful ground stroke and he is the best grinder
Federer : king of fast court

 

[donquijote]

Hitting relatively flatter and using slice are key attributes for Murray's success in Wimbledon. He also has more motivation because it is in the UK.

Being a good returner and having a good footwork applies to all surfaces but some players might have a better balance on grass.

 

[Rebel-I.N.S]

Murray's footwork on grass is extraordinary.

Does not get the credit he deserves.

 

[Russeljones]

Ability to return tough serves, ability to hit tough serves, ability to take the ball early, compact swing/less time needed to hit the ball, ability to deal with bad bounces, good anticipation, good volleying skills, good footspeed to track down the ball which shoots faster through the court, a good slice, and last but certainly not least the ability to move well on grass. These attributes all help on this surface.

Well said. The last is something that seems to be less important in the 2nd week (grass movement).

 

[BGod]

Well, it USE to be that great grass players were basically ballistic servers and fantastic volleyers.

Now.....speed???

The ball moves so much slower than in the past it's insane.

Clay is still relatively the same. It's about grind-out tennis so endurance and great long-range accuracy.

 

[Jaitock1991]

Depends on your style of play. But generally, technically solid footwork is essential. You should be comfortable dealing with low, skidding/inconsistent bounces. A good slice, and a good serve, as always. In general, the nature of the surface does not allow for long rallies, so if you're a good attacker, that's a big plus.

 

[Jaitock1991]

Well, it USE to be that great grass players were basically ballistic servers and fantastic volleyers.

Now.....speed???

The ball moves so much slower than in the past it's insane.

Clay is still relatively the same. It's about grind-out tennis so endurance and great long-range accuracy.

That's very true. Sadly...

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

Pete Sampras is the perfect grass courter. Old or new grass it doesn't matter.

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

Serve and volleying is a lost art. I love federer but he's droped lucky to win 7 wimbledons because he didn't face a true serve and volley great like a Becker, edberg, rafter, goran, krajicek, McEnroe and even henman

 

[kiki]

Serve and volleying is a lost art. I love federer but he's droped lucky to win 7 wimbledons because he didn't face a true serve and volley great like a Becker, edberg, rafter, goran, krajicek, McEnroe and even henman

Not his fault.Grass isn´t grass anymore

 

[SamprasisGOAT]

Not his fault.Grass isn´t grass anymore

I didn't say it was federers fault but what I said is fact.

 

[Flint]

I wish my local club had a bit of court variety. We have 3 outdoor hardcourts. I wish we had an indoor hardcourt (to take weather out of the equation), a clay and a grass but oh well.

Isn't flat hitting meant to suit faster surfaces and heavy topspin suited to slower ones...

 

[kiki]

a good grass court player must sleep on grass, eat grass, drink juices of grass.And most important: smoke grass.

Those conditions were favourable to 70 and 80 players

 

[sliceroni]

Just look at all the Wimbledon champions from 1985-2000 and look at all the French Open Champions from the same year. You will get the picture.

 

[Latetothegame]

Murray's footwork on grass is extraordinary.

Does not get the credit he deserves.

Yes I agree,Andy's game relies on fast foot speed and anticipation, He has never been a slider one of the reason that Clay has been a problem for him over the years.
Novak on the other hand likes to slide even on hard courts, which he can't do on grass, that's why on this surface Andy..so far..has got the better of him when they have met
The lines are blurred anyways nowadays and if you are a good player you can be successful on all surfaces. It's can be just small things that give one player an edge over another on a particular day.

 

[heninfan99]

brass balls
in big moments

 

[kiki]

Concentration is paramount.For not getting angered at sliding balls, bad movements, rare bounces and all that.

I can´t avoid thinking of Borg´s concentration at Wimbledon...