Why were the Australian Open courts made so slow?

[timnz]

Hewitt complained around 2004 that Rebound Ace was too slow. The organizers responded by bringing in Plexicushion in 2008, supposedly to make it faster. But it has turned out to be slower still. A couple of years ago Navratilova said that the courts were as slow as clay.

Given what is natural for Australian tennis style ie attacking tennis - why has tennis Australia built such very slow courts?

I feel this is a serious question, because with the removal of carpet courts, the slowing down of Wimbledon - attacking tennis has largely disappeared from the game. Why would the Australians, who past was built on attacking tennis, play a bit part in killing attacking tennis?

An Australian Open with courts medium fast instead of slow would have made for really attractive tennis.

 

[90's Clay]

Its always been pretty slow hasn't it?

 

[BrooklynNY]

People got tired of Hewitt and Federer just hitting 100 aces a match. That's not tennis it's a serving contest

 

[timnz]

Never happened

People got tired of Hewitt and Federer just hitting 100 aces a match. That's not tennis it's a serving contest

This never happened. In fact Hewitt used to talk about how slow Rebound Ace was (surface from 1988 to 2007). You may be confusing the Australian Open with Wimbledon pre-2002.

And this is my fear, people have got so used to slow surfaces now, that they don't remember what even a medium fast surface looks like anymore. They talk about the WTF being a fast surface when in reality it is incredibly slow compared to the Season end finals of the 80's.

 

[timnz]

Its always been pretty slow hasn't it?

And that's the problem. However, the Australian Open organizers responded to Hewitt's complaints about Rebound Ace being too slow by making it even slower with Plexicushion. Escapes logic really.

 

[Bartelby]

Hewitt's biggest complaint was that the Ace was too sticky in the heat and hence prone to create injury.

The new surface was chosen quite suddenly and with some suggestion that it was done for reasons that were other than objective.

The court blue was tested but the all blue surround was 'true blue' equals real Australian marketing.

 

[Bartelby]

The logic behind the plexicusion is that its softer hardcourt as opposed to the US more traditional hardcourt.

They seem to put a lot of sand in it as it feels like sandpaper so its not like they can't make it faster but again according to the much maligned testing criteria it makes it into the medium fast range.

The AO can be played in hot and humid conditions, so with the sandpaper finish and big balls, the balls fluff and degrade quickly.

 

[RAFA2005RG]

The Australian Open looked slower when Agassi won it. And so it should be. Do you want the Australian Open to be the same pace as the US Open? What would that achieve? Make the tour more monotonous?

 

[Bartelby]

Three slams used to be on grass and two now on hardcourt is probably the right percentage given the dominance of that style of court.

 

[Mike Sams]

It's a business. The organizers who decide on the courts are people who have never played a sport in their lives. Fat, out of shape old men! They want to see crowds entertained. They want to see long rallies. They want to see epic 6 hour finals. Hence the courts must be slow!

 

[timnz]

Monotony?

The Australian Open looked slower when Agassi won it. And so it should be. Do you want the Australian Open to be the same pace as the US Open? What would that achieve? Make the tour more monotonous?

Hardly monotonous. Remember slow court is the standard now (unfortunately). Any fast courts are a welcome relief to million stroke rally's.

 

[timnz]

Need to get out more

It's a business. The organizers who decide on the courts are people who have never played a sport in their lives. Fat, out of shape old men! They want to see crowds entertained. They want to see long rallies. They want to see epic 6 hour finals. Hence the courts must be slow!

They need to get out more. They need to see how attractive a medium fast surface can be to play. Not the slow to medium slow the Australian Open is currently.

 

[Netspirit]

I'm not against the AO being slow, as long as the USO is fast. But it isn't fast anymore.

 

[timnz]

Medium Fast?

The logic behind the plexicusion is that its softer hardcourt as opposed to the US more traditional hardcourt.

They seem to put a lot of sand in it as it feels like sandpaper so its not like they can't make it faster but again according to the much maligned testing criteria it makes it into the medium fast range.

The AO can be played in hot and humid conditions, so with the sandpaper finish and big balls, the balls fluff and degrade quickly.

I saw that it was rated 'medium fast' by the 'testing criteria'. If it is maligned, it is rightly maligned. No one seriously would rate it medium fast.

 

[quest01]

Well it's what the fans want. People who pay quite a bit of money to watch a live match prefer to see a long match with a lot of rallies. I personally don't know if I agree with it though. I'd like to see a little variety in surface speeds maybe not at the grand slam level.

 

[Bartelby]

All the courts are played on by the general public throughout the year, so that may be a factor as well as they wanted to make the court style into some sort of Australian norm.

 

[timnz]

Well it's what the fans want. People who pay quite a bit of money to watch a live match prefer to see a long match with a lot of rallies. I personally don't know if I agree with it though. I'd like to see a little variety in surface speeds maybe not at the grand slam level.

People argue against having medium fast sometimes because they don't want to go back to serve fests...but that only happened on fast courts like pre-2002 wimbledon.

 

[Bartelby]

The courts are high bouncing as well, although probably not to clay level but never having played on european clay i can't judge.

 

[TMF]

People got tired of Hewitt and Federer just hitting 100 aces a match. That's not tennis it's a serving contest

Hewitt serving aces ???

 

[RAFA2005RG]

Hardly monotonous. Remember slow court is the standard now (unfortunately). Any fast courts are a welcome relief to million stroke rally's.

So you don't think its monotonous if 2 of the 4 slams are on hardcourts with exactly the same pace? If you have 2 hardcourt slams you better make sure they are very different to each other.

 

[The_Order]

Navratilova is wrong. NO WAY is plexicushion as slow as clay, absolutely no way. That woman is going senile or something.

Plexicushion is actually a type of surface where most styles can be played and work well.

 

[timnz]

Navratilova is wrong. NO WAY is plexicushion as slow as clay, absolutely no way. That woman is going senile or something.

Plexicushion is actually a type of surface where most styles can be played and work well.

Yeah, if it was that slow we would end up with 5 or 6 hour semi's and finals, with huge long rally's because the players couldn't finish off points....oh, wait....

(Sorry for the sarcasim, I just feel frustrated that somehow it has become accepted that the Australian Open should be a slow court slam. I just don't believe that could have been the organizers intention)

 

[Feather]

This never happened. In fact Hewitt used to talk about how slow Rebound Ace was (surface from 1988 to 2007). You may be confusing the Australian Open with Wimbledon pre-2002.

And this is my fear, people have got so used to slow surfaces now, that they don't remember what even a medium fast surface looks like anymore. They talk about the WTF being a fast surface when in reality it is incredibly slow compared to the Season end finals of the 80's.

Exactly, many think tht it's a fast surface, lolz

 

[Feather]

Hewitt complained around 2004 that Rebound Ace was too slow. The organizers responded by bringing in Plexicushion in 2008, supposedly to make it faster. But it has turned out to be slower still. A couple of years ago Navratilova said that the courts were as slow as clay.

Given what is natural for Australian tennis style ie attacking tennis - why has tennis Australia built such very slow courts?

I feel this is a serious question, because with the removal of carpet courts, the slowing down of Wimbledon - attacking tennis has largely disappeared from the game. Why would the Australians, who past was built on attacking tennis, play a bit part in killing attacking tennis?

An Australian Open with courts medium fast instead of slow would have made for really attractive tennis.

I am more hurt at what they did to US Open. It used to be my second favorite slam in the 90s. It still is but still.They shouldn't have slowed it down..

 

[doobiedoodoo]

Are they able to make hybrid courts? Slow the service boxes down but service line to base line quick?

 

[kalyan4fedever]

Federer wont win Australian open no matter what mark it, his potential threats include [Rafa, Nole] on even a good day , [Murraa ,del potro ,berdych, tsonga,] on a bad day.

 

[Feather]

Federer wont win Australian open no matter what mark it, his potential threats include [Rafa, Nole] on even a good day , [Murraa ,del potro ,berdych, tsonga,] on a bad day.

I will quote this after this years AO

 

[kalyan4fedever]

I will quote this after this years AO

No problem , quote it, bookmark it whatever feds ao days are over, the courts are playing equivalent to clay and pushers can easily beat him on these slow courts

 

[zagor]

This never happened. In fact Hewitt used to talk about how slow Rebound Ace was (surface from 1988 to 2007). You may be confusing the Australian Open with Wimbledon pre-2002.

And this is my fear, people have got so used to slow surfaces now, that they don't remember what even a medium fast surface looks like anymore. They talk about the WTF being a fast surface when in reality it is incredibly slow compared to the Season end finals of the 80's.

He was being sarcastic because that's the excuse on why they slowed down Wimbledon (Sampras-Goran matches were supposedly boring).

Past history has nothing to do with current business (it's about money, not tradition), they slowed down USO in 2001 and 2003 even though most USO players fit the big serve + FH mold.

My personal opinion is that while AO plexicushion is slow no doubt, people exaggerate due to Novak-Nadal match which lasted so long because of how they currently match-up and because they both take their time when serving as much as because of a slow surface.

I don't have a problem with AO being a slow HC, I have a problem with Wimbledon and USO not being fast and the elimination of carpet.

 

[zagor]

No problem , quote it, bookmark it whatever feds ao days are over, the courts are playing equivalent to clay and pushers can easily beat him on these slow courts

It's quite possible that you're right, however if Fed does happen to win a slam in 2013 you know what's coming don't you ? A nice thread about equation is gonna be resurrected all of a sudden.

 

[nereis]

It's kind of like why the French Open is played on clay when the best French players of the recent past have been flamboyant attacking players.

It's not like Tsonga or Gasquet is winning the French any time soon.

 

[Bobby Jr]

Federer's worst result at the Aussie Open since he won his very first major over 9 years ago is better than his worst result at ANY other major.

The guy has no chance whatsoever. :lol:

 

[Flash O'Groove]

It's a business. The organizers who decide on the courts are people who have never played a sport in their lives. Fat, out of shape old men! They want to see crowds entertained. They want to see long rallies. They want to see epic 6 hour finals. Hence the courts must be slow!

I agree with most of your points. Tennis in a business. However, 6 hour finals are not good for business, because they are not good for television: During 6 hours, all the adds which will be broadcasted by a TV will reach only one public: the tennis fan. A 3 hour final would allow to reach thoose guy, and then reach a different public with the next show. Advertiser would thus be pleased, and pleasing advertiser is all that matter in the medias. They give money to the TV, the TV give money to the ATP.

 

[slickerthansleek]

Given the traditional Australian style of tennis, it surprises me a lot also. To be perfectly honest, I've always been surprised that the Australian Open isn't played on grass, or at the very least on fast hard courts. When I think of Australian tennis I think Laver, Cash, Philippoussis, Rafter, Hewitt, etc... all strongest on grass.

I don't know about making it a grass court major, but they really need to speed it back up.

 

[The_Order]

Given the traditional Australian style of tennis, it surprises me a lot also. To be perfectly honest, I've always been surprised that the Australian Open isn't played on grass, or at the very least on fast hard courts. When I think of Australian tennis I think Laver, Cash, Philippoussis, Rafter, Hewitt, etc... all strongest on grass.

I don't know about making it a grass court major, but they really need to speed it back up.

Yeah so Tomic can etch his name in history. It's the only thing holding him back I reckon.

 

[West Coast Ace]

Its always been pretty slow hasn't it?

Wasn't when Rafter was playing. Tennis Australia made things nice and fast to give him the best chance to win. And by 'things' I mean the court AND the balls. He was their fair haired boy; Hewitt, not so much. Too brash for the Aussie tennis establishment.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Federer's worst result at the Aussie Open since he won his very first major over 9 years ago is better than his worst result at ANY other major.

The guy has no chance whatsoever. :lol:

An incredible nine consecutive years of reaching the final four at the Australian Open, over two different surfaces. Not bad at all. He has chance to make it a straight decade next month.

I still favor Djokovic and Nadal above him should he go up against them, and even get Murray a very good chance should they meet in the semis.

 

[Feather]

Federer's worst result at the Aussie Open since he won his very first major over 9 years ago is better than his worst result at ANY other major.

The guy has no chance whatsoever. :lol:

Very well said!

That's what I wonder. It's one thing to say that Novak is the favorite but ti say that Roger has absolutely no chance is plain stupid.

 

[BHud]

Are they able to make hybrid courts? Slow the service boxes down but service line to base line quick?

Interesting thought. A slower short court would minimize ace-fests while rewarding drop shots/touch shots, but still allow a player to attack off penetrating groundies.

Excellent! ...unless it would cause injury by the change of surface. Are there any other sports that have contrasting sufaces within one playing area?

 

[Mustard]

And that's the problem. However, the Australian Open organizers responded to Hewitt's complaints about Rebound Ace being too slow by making it even slower with Plexicushion. Escapes logic really.

Darren Cahill said that Plexicushion was "medium to medium fast".

 

[Bobby Jr]

Darren Cahill said that Plexicushion was "medium to medium fast".

Cahill isn't right here. I have played on those exact courts - at Melbourne park - and also many times at a club which was used as an AO practice venue, also the same spec (when laid). They are very slow when new. If you come from faster courts the first time you use them you think you've got flat balls they are so sluggish.

Interestingly, the courts speed up after a couple of years of use. The Aussie Open however resurfaces its courts annually. If not all of them at least the main ones. Clubs can't afford to do that so it's hard to make an easy comparison.

If these courts are medium/medium-fast then I can't fathom what slow is outside of European clay.

 

[mattennis]

The balls used is a very big factor too.

For example, this court ( 1990 WTF indoor carpet) was supposed to be fast (but not among the fastest carpets that were used at that time), but because of using very fast balls that year, the game was really fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51JNUmGIwtk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYUTsDoe08w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GryrCtrUqw