Clay - the surface of kings

April and May. In Europe, these months mean Winter is well and truly behind us, the negative chills and winds have past, making way for the positive sunshine, the caring warmth of Spring restores our vitality.

The tennis season schedule masterfully mirrors this particular change from negative to positive feelings. For April signals an end to the tedious hard court season and brings in the surface of giants. The surface of Gods. The surface of true tennis. Clay.

At the start of the clay court season, true tennus fans are brought out of the lull brought on by boring grass and hard court tennis, and into the excitement of the start of the true tennis calendar. Over the next 2 months they shall witness an entire exhibition of epic tennis, true sport, gladiators who are the most skilled of the skilled crashing blow after blow upon one another. The warriors fight in the epic battlegrounds of Monaco, Rome, the home of the gladiator, Madrid, the land of the bullfighter, and of course the big one, the only meaningful slam, Roland Garros. Here the fans witness the worlds greatest players playing in the ultimate tournament. The best peak at Roland Garros and the tennis is out of this world. It is an irrefutable fact that 98% of all great tennis is played on clay. All highlight reels of epic tennis contain almost exclusively clay court tennis.

Indeed, many of the worlds best players like David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro are so excited about the start of the actual tennis season that they will ignore the opportunity to pick up ranking points at pathetic sideshows like Dubai in order to practise on the clay in Argentina and Brazil. Who can blame them? After 6 months or so on hard and grass courts many players are reportedly on the brink of suicide, leading to players like Nadal and Murray even wanting to strike. They argue the schedule should be reduced so they get a better winter break. It was also help heal the mental scars of tennis fans who have gradually been broken down by watching tennis played on surfaces that simply were never meant for tennis.

Grass? Please. Grass is a wonderful surface, yes. IF YOU ARE A FARMYARD ANIMAL. Tennis is not meant to be played on a surface where the ball barely bounces. It's nice if you have the mobility of a three legged donkey, absolutely, but if you are such a weakling then tennis is not the sport for you. Leave grass to the cows, the dense footballers and the rugby players who like to slap their fellow sweaty mens backsides whilst chasing an egg.

As for hard courts? What exactly is the point of them? This glorifed tarmac attempts to be clay, but removes the sliding, the single greatest skill in tennis, and serves no other purpose than to ruin not only the spirit of the sport, but the bodies of the players themselves - all injuries are a result of hard court tennis. It is understandable why many players want rid of a considerable chunk of the most boring season in tennis, the hardcourt season.

Which leaves us with clay, where only the best survive. There have only been 3 finalists at Roland Garros in the last 5 years, unlike the merry-go-round of the failed slams in Australia, Womble-land and Flushing Meadows, who appear to have a roulette machine to decide which players get to fight it out for a meaningless trophy this year.

No, on clay you must have consistency, pure talent, pure willpower, and strength, speed and agility. Only superheroes survive on here. True champions like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Thomas Muster are kings here, and maybe even Novak Djokovic, for all he has focussed on the forgotten slams so far, may rise to the pantheon of greats after he admitted he is ready to man up next year and focus solely on the clay season. His potential is undeniable - he has won 3 clay masters this year, even whilst having other, weaker tournaments in his sights. He learnt his lesson after being shown up by a man who made the clay slam a priority for the season, something you must do to survive on clay. Because this isn't like the other seasons, this isn't a season where you can show up and do well because the worlds best are preparing for meaningful tournaments. On clay, the standard is so high that any weakness is punished.

And true tennis fans love it.

It is interesting to note that many people on this site believe that other courts are trying to imitate clay by slowing them down.

This is news to me, but absolutely no surprise at all that they should try to imitate pure tennis. They'll never pull it off though - it's difficult to capture the essence of greatness.

You are very persuasive. I have to agree with one small difference. For me Monte Carlo is the most presigious. That spectacular centre court with sea view is the true home of kings.

SAHARA STALLION wrote:sliding, the single greatest skill in tennis

Very persuasive.

606v2 needed a clown and now we have one in SAHARA STALLION. I'm looking at his posts and he does seems very funny.

His arguments are so senseless I don't feel like arguing at all, I love laughing at them. I'm very honest here, I'm loving this poster. awesome.

Thanks for the great article and other posts SAHARA STALLION, every bit of it is funny.

Looks like we have another low-witted clayophile. I'd value winning Dubai above declining pushfests like Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid etc

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Looks like we have another low-witted clayophile. I'd value winning Dubai above declining pushfests like Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid etc

Pfft! Some people value money above prestige, history and ranking points.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Looks like we have another low-witted clayophile. I'd value winning Dubai above declining pushfests like Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid etc

Well that is your choice, of course. Sadly, it is not the choice of the tennis players themselves, who appear en masse to collect their appearance fee, and proceed to play substandard tennis in the knowledge that they need to rest and prepare for the epic season of super golden lions that is just around the corner.

The psychological preparation required just to walk out into one of the grand arenas of Rome, Monte Carlo and Madrid and above that, play is tremendous. Many players skip Monte Carlo simply because they cannot take in the grandeur of it all.

SAHARA STALLION wrote:

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Looks like we have another low-witted clayophile. I'd value winning Dubai above declining pushfests like Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid etc

Well that is your choice, of course. Sadly, it is not the choice of the tennis players themselves, who appear en masse to collect their appearance fee, and proceed to play substandard tennis in the knowledge that they need to rest and prepare for the epic season of super golden lions that is just around the corner.

The psychological preparation required just to walk out into one of the grand arenas of Rome, Monte Carlo and Madrid and above that, play is tremendous. Many players skip Monte Carlo simply because they cannot take in the grandeur of it all.

Rather a sweep statement: the grandeur of it all? Are you trying to be amusing? Any evidence of this or are your telling us you're the personal counselor to top tennis players who have confided this in you? They miss out Monte Carlo more often in recent times because it's not compulsory anymore, not because of the 'grandeur of it all'. Unless you want to provide some evidence most posters will consider such sweeping assertions with disdain.

I think it's also rather a childish position to hold all the other slams and non clay tournaments as merely rubbish because clay is somehow 'superior', perhaps in your opinion but I'm pretty certain 99% of people will not agree with you for good reason and the vast majority of tennis fans too. But you're welcome to your opinion, it just doesn't carry any influence with next to no one (especially when you think players miss out Monte Carlo because of the 'grandeur of it all').

luciusmann wrote:

SAHARA STALLION wrote:

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Looks like we have another low-witted clayophile. I'd value winning Dubai above declining pushfests like Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid etc

Well that is your choice, of course. Sadly, it is not the choice of the tennis players themselves, who appear en masse to collect their appearance fee, and proceed to play substandard tennis in the knowledge that they need to rest and prepare for the epic season of super golden lions that is just around the corner.

The psychological preparation required just to walk out into one of the grand arenas of Rome, Monte Carlo and Madrid and above that, play is tremendous. Many players skip Monte Carlo simply because they cannot take in the grandeur of it all.

Rather a sweep statement: the grandeur of it all? Are you trying to be amusing? Any evidence of this or are your telling us you're the personal counselor to top tennis players who have confided this in you? They miss out Monte Carlo more often in recent times because it's not compulsory anymore, not because of the 'grandeur of it all'. Unless you want to provide some evidence most posters will consider such sweeping assertions with disdain.

I think it's also rather a childish position to hold all the other slams and non clay tournaments as merely rubbish because clay is somehow 'superior', perhaps in your opinion but I'm pretty certain 99% of people will not agree with you for good reason and the vast majority of tennis fans.

I am no counselor, but it is common knowledge that many stay away for fear of being brutalised by the epic battles that take place at this hall of heroics every year - their minds cannot handle the stress and strain placed upon them by hours of tremendous tennis. Naturally since the weak ones have the option to jump out of Monte Carlo, they do so. In the other great season tournaments they are shown up for the cowards they are, wiped away in straight sets.

As I stated before, grass and tarmac are for farmers and petrolheads, not tennis.

Mmm. You name Ferrer and Almagro as players who have embraced clay by going to Brazil and Argentina (no getting easy ranking points there then). After all that preparation why didn't they do better at Rome and Roland Garros. In most cases and on most surfaces the cream come to the top Nadal, Federer, Djokovic). Nothing against Clay Courts, Ferrer (good player on different surfaces) or Almagro but your logic does not make sense.

Clay is for pigeons, geddit?

Clay pigeons

Common knowledge isn't evidence. If it's so common, show us some links which support your points. In fact, let's make it easy, just give us some tennis/sports journalists who agree with you?

A number of tennis players have complained about the length of the season, that might better explain why they miss Monte Carlo, as Federer did (indeed Djokovic did citing an injury) this year then suggesting that somehow a number of tennis players are wimps who can't stand up to the rigors of Monte Carlo which to be honest sounds like such a child like logic: it doesn't even merit a response but I'm giving you one anyway.

I'm not quite sure either why you feel the need to label other players who play on other surfaces better as 'farmers' and 'petrolheads', it's just devalues you're comments and makes you appear petty.

Calder106 wrote:Mmm. You name Ferrer and Almagro as players who have embraced clay by going to Brazil and Argentina (no getting easy ranking points there then). After all that preparation why didn't they do better at Rome and Roland Garros. In most cases and on most surfaces the cream come to the top Nadal, Federer, Djokovic). Nothing against Clay Courts, Ferrer (good player on different surfaces) or Almagro but your logic does not make sense.

This is a fair point in a sense. For the record, I have applauded Djokovic and Federer for their impeccable efforts on other threads (though both have paid recently and in the past for wavering focus), but I haven't stated that the practise would necessarily benefit them. In fact I believe it tires them out, though for good reason. I merely stated that they get so excited about the upcoming tennis season that they avoid the chance to get more ranking points at Dubai and Rotterdam and risk boring themselves to death in order to play in proper tournaments likes Buenos Aires.

Which does of course bring me to why Ferrer and Almagro disappointed at times, though bear in mind that Ferrer made the final at Monte Carlo, and lost to Nadal twice and Djokovic once - no shame there (Roland Garros was disappointed, but it is expected that he should fail here having bothered with the Australian Open), but the epic fights in the Latin-American clay season prior to the season of kings will take their toll on both of them, especially Almagro, who fights so hard, and has established such immense success at this crucial part of the tennis calendar.

Personally I think it is unfair having the clay seasons so close together - after the Latin-America season, they will need time to rest, more than a month, certainly, such is the quality of tennis required. I suggest a break of three months, moving the europe season a month forward (also removes Wimbledon - a plus point), and the Latin season a month back. This way we may see Almagro really show us his absolutely outstanding potential - he will surely be a future number 1.

luciusmann wrote:Common knowledge isn't evidence. If it's so common, show us some links which support your points. In fact, let's make it easy, just give us some tennis/sports journalists who agree with you?

Tennis journalists? Please. They are paid to hype up the tennis tour outside of the clay season. They have to try and sell the other tournaments as good in order to get people interested, otherwise they'd only show up for the clay season, where the quality speaks for itself.

Did you know that 100% of people who turn up to watch tennis at tournaments outside of the clay court season turn up because they have been tricked by the tour and the journalists they employ into thinking the quality is the same? It's an interesting fact to say the least.

luciusmann wrote:A number of tennis players have complained about the length of the season, that might better explain why they miss Monte Carlo, as Federer did (indeed Djokovic did citing an injury) this year then suggesting that somehow a number of tennis players are wimps who can't stand up to the rigors of Monte Carlo which to be honest sounds like such a child like logic: it doesn't even merit a response but I'm giving you one anyway.

The players wanted a longer winter break. This irrefutably is because they want rid of the hard court season, no surprises there.

Perhaps calling those players who fail to turn up for Monte Carlo 'cowards' is harsh, fair point. I doubt I personally could hack walking into the arena of gladiators, the crowd demanding only the finest tennis from me, and proceed to play high octane tennis for hours on end, in the knowledge that Barcelona, Rome and Madrid, tournaments that are mandatory and require the same level of brilliance are only round the corner?

I do not agree with the decision of those who avoid MC, but I do understand it. I retract my statement that they are cowards.

It's a highly tenuous position to assert they are paid to hype up the tennis tournament outside of the clay season. That's your opinion, an opinion with no evidence I hasten to add. I personally think tennis journalists are paid to follow tennis and hype up the sport, tennis on all surfaces, not clay alone. I'd like to see evidence that other non clay court events are hyped up more, I don't expect I'll get any from you. Alluding to some conspiracy to hype up non clay events sounds so absurd it's not even worth responding to.

You might personally find clay more entertaining, I don't think it's all that much more superior to other surfaces. That's an opinion but I think you don't seem to realise how silly your opinions sound when you denigrate the other surfaces but then go further and denigrate the players who do better on other players calling them 'farmers' and petrolheads', I thought this was a forum for adults, not child like name calling?

luciusmann wrote:It's a highly tenuous position to assert they are paid to hype up the tennis tournament outside of the clay season. That's your opinion, an opinion with no evidence I hasten to add. I personally think tennis journalists are paid to follow tennis and hype up the sport, tennis on all surfaces, not clay alone. I'd like to see evidence that other non clay court events are hyped up more, I don't expect I'll get any from you. Alluding to some conspiracy to hype up non clay events sounds so absurd it's not even worth responding to.

You might personally find clay more entertaining, I don't think it's all that much more superior to other surfaces. That's an opinion but I think you don't seem to realise how silly your opinions sound when you denigrate the other surfaces but then go further and denigrate the players who do better on other players calling them 'farmers' and petrolheads', I thought this was a forum for adults, not child like name calling?

Hello again.

With regards to evidence, tragically I cannot provide links, as this is my first day on the site. I'm assuming you knew this, and thought you could entrap me. However I am not deterred.

If you go to google and type in 'farm', you'll notice that much like Wimbledon, grass is an absolutely dominant surface in farming. Likewise, type in 'petrolhead' and you shall see the same tarmac they use in hard courts. There's also a nice one of Megan Fox on that search.

As far as the journalists are concerned, Roland Garros is a fine example, where many sports journalists line up to slate the crowds in particular. Shameful work.

The irony of course is that Roland Garros is so much more popular than other slams they need a whole new stadium in order to fit the billions of fans in!!!

I don't really see any reason to slate the crowds, it's not that relevant to the tennis.

I'm not trying to entrap you however you are very forthright for a new poster, that's all, but I do remember I was too!

The issue isn't you labeling the surfaces, it's you labeling the players as farmers and petrolheads which is highly disrespectful and isn't required. You don't like grass or hardcourt. We got the message loud and clear.

People, there is no point in arguing with SS. Just enjoy his comments and articles. If you try to make sense out of nonsense, you can't and you'll lose the fun as well. For him the single greatest skill in tennis is sliding. Can't you see it.

Trying to reason with SS who bring up arguments like these is futile. Just enjoy his comic sense.


SAHARA STALLION,
you filled a much needed void here. So tell me more how is clay superior to grass as a playing surface? Whats wrong with grass other than being a farmland?