Imagine an intense match between two equally skilled athletes – perhaps with the second set deadlocked at 6-6 and the tiebreaker at 6-5, one player ready to serve match point. The crowd’s cheers dissipate as the server readies at the baseline, the toss flutters in the air …
And it anticlimactically falls to the ground as a gust of wind knocks it off course.
Less-than-ideal conditions are the hallmark of outdoor tennis; factors ranging from shadows, wind and sun all affect gameplay and require greater concentration on the players’ parts.
“(Indoor tennis) is a more level playing field than outdoors,” said senior Catherine Harrison.
The different surfaces produce changes in the tempo of the game, with indoor tennis tending to play faster due to the consistency of the ball trajectories and bounces. Indoor rewards players with aggressive, pace-fueled games, allowing them to attempt big first serves and half volleys without worry of an errant shadow or a gust of wind interfering with the shot.
“I like (the) fast-paced games,” freshman Alaina Miller said. “If the (ball is) hit fast to me, I can hit back faster, and my opponents have trouble with that.”
Collegiate tennis is exclusively played on hard courts, a surprising practice considering that clay and grass courts are played on at the professional level.
Grass surfaces, made famous by Wimbledon’s courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, have a reputation for moving the ball quicker than any other surface because the grass allows the ball to “slide.”
Harrison has fond memories of grass courts, having played Junior Wimbledon when she was seventeen. Her aggressive game, headlined by her big serve, plays well on the slick surface.
Clay courts, like the ones at the French Open, move the ball the slowest of the various surfaces, and as such, favor players whose games revolve around consistency, spin and stamina. Movement on clay is difficult – players learn from a young age to “slide” across the court to maintain balance and footing.
The clay produces high bounces and diminishes the speed of shots, helping players with better conditioning and patience triumph over those with a pace-fueled, aggressive style.
“I like to grind and have longer points,” said sophomore Kristin Wiley. “Clay is a slower surface and gives me more time to set up and execute my shots.”
American tennis’ dearth of clay courts has had a noticeable effect, as Andre Agassi’s 1999 French Open singles title is the last by a competitor from the U.S.
Perhaps American players would benefit from the challenges of different surfaces. For the foreseeable future, though, the NCAA has no plans to introduce grass or clay courts.