Milos Raonic Gives An Explicit Description About Wimbledon’s Slow Courts

Published 07/07/2019, 7:21 PM EDT

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Tennis players at Wimbledon Championships 2019, have spoken about the grass courts being slowed down this year. The former Wimbledon finalist, Milos Raonic is one among the tennis professionals, who feels the slowed surface at SW19. 

“From the first years I have played here, I think it’s made that gradual decline in the speed of the court,” Milos Raonic said. “And I don’t think it plays any faster than any of the other Slams that’s for sure.”

So far, in the first week, the big-server, Milos Raonic has been playing on the outer courts and he is yet to drop a set in the tournament. The Canadian explained the factors which affect the slow nature of the court.

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The direction of grass’ growth matters in this case. The grass growing in the opposite direction to that of the incoming direction of the ball from the other side results in the slowness of the court.

via Imago

“I haven’t played on the main courts but I think because they allow players to practice on the side courts,” Milos Raonic said. “They keep the grass a bit longer and it’s softer, so obviously that’s going to slow down a ball in its own right. From the little I understand, it’s a grass that’s meant to grow sort of as an ‘x’ shape so that it goes against the ball coming at it. It doesn’t sort of bend that way. That’s supposed to slow it down, as well.”

The former World Number three, Raonic feels that grass-court tennis has changed over the years and it has aided players like Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson to become finalists in the tournament.

“I’m sure it’s intent because as you see it, the tennis that’s played on grass has changed significantly. And it’s not because of athleticism or anything. It’s because the grass has allowed for that. And you see that with the list of champions.”

He feels no difference between playing on the British turf and the French Open’s clay. Both the surfaces feel exactly the same and the altered surface suits the best for athletic players on tour.

“I think this does a lot of good things for a person that plays aggressive and goes for it,” Milos Raonic continued. “You know, big servers can still have benefits on it, especially the first week when it’s harder to move. Later, it’s tough because it gets pretty sticky on the baseline. It’s no different than moving on a clay court.

via Imago

Eight-time champion, Roger Federer has a contradicting opinion than that of Raonic’s. He feels no difference in the surface and it is exactly the same as it was over the years.

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“No, I do not think so. Does he have that? I talked to Tim Henman and he said you still do everything exactly the same,” Federer mentioned. “I think it’s like wine. It’s not the same every season, also because of the weather. That’s probably why it was a bit softer this year in the first week. This is surprising because there is always a balloon pulled over the seats, which is inflated with air. One might think that one can control the conditions with it.”

via Imago

The Swiss mentioned about the sun rays affecting the condition of the court, which consequently makes the play faster. Removing the tarpaulin will have an effect on the surface. I heard the slice jump five centimeters less than last year,” he continued.

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“That’s a big difference. But I have the feeling that the places are getting harder by the sunlight. As a result, it gets easier from the baseline, and a bit faster. It’s not super, but it’s okay. I do not think it is a gigantic difference,” Federer added.

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Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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