This is a great debate. It’s stupidly short. The clay court season runs for about 3 months and the grass court season is over before you can blink! The Gerry Weber and the AEGON Champs (formerly Stella Artois) are great tournaments. A few more top level grass tournaments and we could have a longer season.
Grass tennis has also become much more of a level playing field for the ATP tour – even the most ardent clay players can win some money in grass tournaments. The courts and the balls have helped to reduce the speed of the game, making it fairer for the players and arguably more fun for the punters that watch!
I think there was a back lash in the 90s when the courts and balls were fast, Sampras dominated and people thought it was boring. The changes and the way players have worked to adapt (Nadal a case in point) is changing that.
If more people get into grass court tennis, then the demand will be there. The ATP would then have to take note.
It’s hard and costly to maintain good grass courts, and frankly only the UK can produce top quality ones, so there would have to be some investments made, but I’m sure Dubai and the oil-rich nations that put on tennis, could do it.
This is a great debate. It’s stupidly short. The clay court season runs for about 3 months and the grass court season is over before you can blink! The Gerry Weber and the AEGON Champs (formerly Stella Artois) are great tournaments. A few more top level grass tournaments and we could have a longer season.
Grass tennis has also become much more of a level playing field for the ATP tour – even the most ardent clay players can win some money in grass tournaments. The courts and the balls have helped to reduce the speed of the game, making it fairer for the players and arguably more fun for the punters that watch!
Thanks for your comment!
I think there was a back lash in the 90s when the courts and balls were fast, Sampras dominated and people thought it was boring. The changes and the way players have worked to adapt (Nadal a case in point) is changing that.
If more people get into grass court tennis, then the demand will be there. The ATP would then have to take note.
It’s hard and costly to maintain good grass courts, and frankly only the UK can produce top quality ones, so there would have to be some investments made, but I’m sure Dubai and the oil-rich nations that put on tennis, could do it.