Is weed to blame for Serena Williams’ exit from Wimbledon? Everything you need to know about Grand Slam surfaces-Sports News, Firstpost

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Serena Williams was also not the only one to drop out after suffering an injury. Adrian Mannarino, who had also faced eight-time champion Roger Federer, also withdrew after slipping and being injured.

When 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams left Wimbledon this year after a fall and a leg injury in a very first-round singles match, the disbelief and disappointment of her legions of supporters left giving way to the idea that the grass top might have played a role in the injured American tennis icon’s retirement, perhaps since his last championship at the All England Club. Court critics could point to several cases of players falling and injuring themselves.

And Williams wasn’t the only one to drop out after suffering an injury, either. Adrian Mannarino, who had also faced eight-time champion Roger Federer, also withdrew after slipping and being injured. While the Wimbledon organizers have defended the courts, lawn tennis is, of course, a game that is played on a variety of surfaces. Here’s what you need to know about them.

What are the different surfaces on which the Four slams are played?

The first slam of the year, the Australian Open, is played on a hard surface usually made of stiff materials like asphalt or concrete, much like the last slam, the US Open. The French Open, which follows the Down Under event, is played on clay while Wimbledon, of course, is played on grass. But this general description will not do.

According to the organizers of the Australian Open, this tournament is played on “hard padded acrylic courts” while the US Open has been played on the DecoTurf brand since 1978, which has a thin layer of rubber for cushioning.

The clay courts at Roland Garros are made of a mixture of crushed shale, stone or brick and 100% perennial ryegrass has been the surface of the Wimbledon championships since 2001.

What is the impact of the surface on the game?

From the type of play to the power of the serves, the playing surface makes all the difference. Experts will tell you that while hard courts are generally considered fast, but not faster than turf, the speed of the specific surface depends on the type of material and technology used. Hard courts favor big serves and powerful players and normally allow shorter volleys.

Clay courts are the slowest surface but are known to generate a high rebound, allowing longer rallies with the ball coming more slowly onto the racquet. These courts favor players who like to operate from the baseline and use tricks like topspin to score points.

Arguably the fastest surface in lawn tennis is the grass. But combined with the speed is the lack of rebound. The trademark game on grass courts is “serve and volley,” in which the server moves close to the net after the serve so that he can execute an offensive volley on the return.

The governing body of world tennis, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), has developed a system called Court Pace Rating, or CPR, to determine the speed of a particular playing surface. What the system does is, among other things, measure the impact of the surface on the ball, taking into account everything from friction, shifting, and time between bounces.

What’s the controversy at Wimbledon this year?

Reacting to Williams’ slip and withdrawal, Federer had suggested that the grassy area could be tricky.

I have the impression that it is a little more slippery, perhaps, under the roof. I don’t know if it’s just a hunch. You have to move very, very carefully there. If you push too hard at a bad time, you fall, said the Swiss tennis star. He added that for him the court felt drier during the day.

“With the wind and all that, it takes the moisture out of the grass,” he said. But Federer was quick to point out that he couldn’t find the courts different this year, as Wimbledon is back after a sabbatical year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t think the game is much different. It’s always been like that. I think for a lot of players it’s a great key to get through those first two laps because the grass is more slippery, it’s softer. As the tournament progresses, in general it becomes easier and easier to move on, ”he said.

It was a point of view echoed by Wimbledon organizers, who defended the courts amid criticism after Williams’ exit. “With every match played, the courts will continue to firm up,” they said on the tournament website, adding that the humid weather conditions did not help matters “at a time when the grass is most lush. and the greenest, resulting in additional moisture on what is a natural surface.

Do the top slam winners all have their pet surfaces?

To answer this question is to trigger a seemingly endless debate. But here’s what the stats say:

Among the top three players in men’s singles, Federer and Rafael Nadal each have 20 Grand Slam titles in their kitty. While it could be argued that Wimbledon is Federer’s favorite competition given that it represents the most of his slam victories, there is no doubt that Nadal is the king of Roland Garros. No less than 13 of his total slams have come to Paris as the Spaniard has just two Wimbledon titles.

Novak Djokovic, the Serbian ace who is third on the list of greatest Grand Slam winners of all time with 19 titles, was the most successful on the hard courts of the Australian Open, having won there nine times.

A graphic representation of men with most Grand Slam tournaments. Courtesy of: Kenneth Mohanty

The top player in terms of Grand Slam wins among women is Australian legend Margaret Court, who last played a Grand Slam singles match in 1973. Her 24 wins consist of 11 Open d ‘Australia. Right after her is Williams, who would have tied Court for total Grand Slam wins had she managed to go all the way at Wimbledon this year. There is some consistency in Williams’ slam record as she has won seven times each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon while also winning six US Open titles. The three of his remaining slam titles came at Roland Garros.

A graphic representation of women with most Grand Slam titles. Courtesy of: Kenneth Mohanty

Third player in the women’s list, the German Steffi Graf has 22 singles titles. Her most successful slam is Wimbledon, which she won seven times, followed by Roland Garros, where she lifted the trophy six times.

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