- Thread starter
- #1
bksballer89
Most Popular Member
Don't care for it but tennis is tennis so post anything relevant to clay tournaments here.
My favorite time of the year. I think I'm the only one on here who ever likes clay court season. It consistently rewards players with the most complete game, including movement. Movement on clay is the only thing missing from Nole's list of A++ skills.
My favorite time of the year. I think I'm the only one on here who ever likes clay court season. It consistently rewards players with the most complete game, including movement. Movement on clay is the only thing missing from Nole's list of A++ skills.
Servers have to show more than just velocity to be successful on clay. Volleys aren't as big a part of the game as on grass, sure, so I'll give that to you. Literally every other part of a players tennis game/toolkit is used on clay for virtually every point, including spin variety.I will respectfully disagree. Serves are minimized and volleys and slices are non existent. Its a 1 dimensional game. Run to 1 side flip the ball back, run to the other side flip the ball back. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Agree all you want. It's categorically absurd to say that grass or hard courts require more use of the collective toolkit of players.
Servers have to show more than just velocity to be successful on clay. Volleys aren't as big a part of the game as on grass, sure, so I'll give that to you. Literally every other part of a players tennis game/toolkit is used on clay for virtually every point, including spin variety.
Grass requires much less versatility, though the effort to slow it down has made better all-around players more successful on the surface. For most of the mid-late 90s and early 00s, with the advent of bazooka racquets, grass was painfully boring to watch outside of Federer. It was great in the 70s and 80s, and it's getting better now with versatility.
I'm not saying anything controversial here. But I do understand and appreciate the passion other fans have for other surfaces.
Agree all you want. It's categorically absurd to say that grass or hard courts require more use of the collective toolkit of players.
Nobody in the tennis world thinks that. Thank goodness the USTA has a big initiative to get its new crop of players on clay a lot more since it is the best way to produce complete players.
Not many players can rely just on heavy topspin to do well on clay. I'm not saying that it isn't helpful on clay, because it is. Heavy topspin makes the ball explode off the court more. It's what Nadal thrived on, and Federer to a degree. But the majority of players (including Nole, who hits a pretty flat ball) have to rely on all of their wiles to construct points and be successful. And the more and more advances in bazooka racquet/strings technologym and increase in 2-handers on backhands stepping in and taking the ball early has mitigated a lot of the advantages heavy topspin hitters used to have. Shot variety in a rally between the majority of players is pretty wide on clay, and I'm sorry, but it's absurd to try to argue otherwise.Meh, Clay is nothing but defense. A drop shot here and there and maybe a lob. No net play whatsoever, no slices, no flat shots. Just flip a heavy topspin back. Bad bounces everywhere so topspin is the only shot that can be hit consistently. Hard courts require every shot and spin.
Yeah, and I actually don't care for how much they've slowed down hard courts.Agreed. Hard courts have been slowed a bit too these days. I dont mind real clay (the grey hard stuff) either, just hate the crushed brick.
My favorite time of the year. I think I'm the only one on here who ever likes clay court season. It consistently rewards players with the most complete game, including movement. Movement on clay is the only thing missing from Nole's list of A++ skills.
I will respectfully disagree. Serves are minimized and volleys and slices are non existent. Its a 1 dimensional game. Run to 1 side flip the ball back, run to the other side flip the ball back. Wash, rinse, repeat.
Just saw that Novak was eliminated today