The Supremacy of Grass

Next Monday, the 125th edition of the Championships at Wimbledon will begin. It is a tournament unlike any other on the tennis calendar. There are currently six grass court sanctioned tournaments on the ATP and WTA circuit, and they all fall within a five week period, starting with the end of the French Open and concluding with the Cambell's Hall of Fame Championships, a low level event held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island. The biggest, the oldest, and of course, the grandest one is held at Wimbledon. The "Big W" is the one tournament that most players dream of winning. After the jump, we'll look at three reasons why grass courts, and specifically those at Wimbledon are the best surface for playing tennis.


1) Grass courts, unlike clay and hard ones, are a true test of a player's well roundedness. On a clay court, fitness, baseline play, topspin, and defense are rewarded, while the serve, volley, and general offensive play is much harder to win with. Hard courts are for the big, flat hitters and risk takers, with defense being much tougher to win with. The perfect example of these two types of "specialists" are David Ferrer and Juan Martin del Potro. Ferrer's defense and toughness are extraordinary, while del Potro's insane hitting enabled him to win the 2009 U.S Open, beating Nadal and Federer in back-to-back matches. Grass, on the other hand, requires offense, big serves, and volleys, but because of the lower, smoother bounce, quick reflexes on defense and improvisation. Simply put, there are many more ways for a player to win on grass than on hard or clay courts, and all of the tools must be there to win.

2) It's the most natural surface on which to play tennis and has by far the most history of any surface. The sounds that the players make moving on the grass are unlike any other surface. Also, the way the ball bounces off the grass and the sound it makes combine to make grass court tennis the most pleasant to watch. Phrased differently, tennis on grass "feels right". The form of tennis that we're all fans of is called lawn tennis for a reason. The game began on the lawns of England, and the organization that runs the Championships at Wimbledon is still called the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. The all-white attire that each competitor is required to wear shows the tradition and pageantry of the club.

3) Wimbledon on television is a sight to behold. The tennis ball matched up with the rich green grass of the court, the passionate yet respectful crowd, and most of all the lack of sponsors around the courts all make Wimbledon the premier viewing experience. It is the only tennis tournament in the world not to put advertisements on the court itself, which greatly increases the pleasure in watching the tournament.

The 2011 Championships are almost upon us. We'll have the full previews up, and we look forward to blogging through the fortnight.