Change to Clay Courts
It’s that time of year again… when tennis players perform that instant switch from hard court tennis to clay court tennis in preparation for the 2010 French Open. Sure, a tennis court is a tennis court, but it IS different to play on clay courts compared to hard courts,
especially at the pro level. Of course, there are additional variables such as the tennis balls which can make a big difference between the play on the same clay courts, e.g. Penn and Wilson tennis balls play quite differently and very light tennis balls can really speed up the play, especially on American “green clay courts.”
There are three main facets of a player’s game that need to be adjusted when switching onto clay courts, i.e. footwork, patience and shot selection. In terms of footwork, the ability to slide allows a player to get away with fewer little steps. However, the movement running forward and reversing directions can be a little trickier, especially if the courts are dry and slippery. Patience is a required quality in every successful clay court player because it’s simply harder to hit clean winners on clay. In addition, one needs to be more selective on which shots to follow to the net. Shrewd shot selection can be key on clay by leveraging the fact that the opponent’s footing is less secure, e.g. hitting more shots behind the opponent, utilizing short topspin angled shots more often and even slicing more first serves wide in the deuce court. There is an art to successful clay court tennis and it requires practice and experience.
There are three main facets of a player’s game that need to be adjusted when switching onto clay courts, i.e. footwork, patience and shot selection. In terms of footwork, the ability to slide allows a player to get away with fewer little steps. However, the movement running forward and reversing directions can be a little trickier, especially if the courts are dry and slippery. Patience is a required quality in every successful clay court player because it’s simply harder to hit clean winners on clay. In addition, one needs to be more selective on which shots to follow to the net. Shrewd shot selection can be key on clay by leveraging the fact that the opponent’s footing is less secure, e.g. hitting more shots behind the opponent, utilizing short topspin angled shots more often and even slicing more first serves wide in the deuce court. There is an art to successful clay court tennis and it requires practice and experience.
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