Clay Court Tennis...
Roger Federer and Serena Williams won clay court tennis tournaments last week. For Federer, it was his first tournament victory of 2008, but also yet another clay court title which illustrates his all-court skills. For Serena Williams, it was her third title of 2008, but her first clay court title since she won the 2002 French Open crown. For many years, it seemed that there were more and more “clay court specialists”, especially on the
Tour. Instead, the top players are now illustrating each year that “good tennis” transcends surfaces. Rafael Nadal, who will go down in history as one of the best clay court players, has reached two consecutive Wimbledon finals and won several major hard court titles. The 2008 Australian Open Champion, Maria Sharapova, won her first clay court title a couple weeks ago in Amelia Island. Surface definitely matters. Nonetheless, players are developing more well-rounded games and also learning better ways to adapt their strengths to the various surfaces. This all adds up to what should be a very compelling scenario at the 2008 French Open on both the men’s side and in the women’s draw. Stay tuned…
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