PLAYING ON CLAY

By Brad Properjohn

There is no better court surface than clay to develop and test your skills. It is a true test of all the facets of the game and is widely accepted amongst the Pro’s as being the most difficult surface to win on.

If your looking for cheep easy points don’t look to clay. A clay court has more moods than an esoteric festival. When wet, it’s as slow as malaises and with the increased traction you’re able to get every ball back, which favours the slower players. And when it’s dry, it’s like playing on a mixture of ball bearings and baby powder where the bounce becomes irregular and the lack of drive from the court surface means you can’t generate a lot of power which favours the quicker players. The courts are watered before play (in dry weather) and are likely to be bone dry at the end of play. You can see how matches between two players with contrasting styles could ebb and flow with the changing conditions.

The mega big Pro tournaments courts around the world are kept for the most part consistent with each other with only minor differences like the coarseness of the clay, (France fine, Germany coarse) and are generally kept in immaculate condition.

The fun really starts in the mid summer small money tournaments when thunderous “knee deep” rainy down pores occur and there are no covers to protect them from the deluge. You could be playing on a “serve wide-volley wide” ice rink like court, and then after a rain shower be playing on a heavy mud pit where a tennis ball can feel like shot-put. I’ve played matches in the wet where the tennis balls have picket up so much clay they have actually turned red.

Clay court tennis is challenging physically, mentally, creatively and strategically. Though clay is much more body friendly or low impact and consequently has a low injury rate, the long matches mean you must be in top condition. Your endurance will be tested in the longer matches mixed with intermittent short burst of speed where balance flexibility and composure are vital for economy of shot. Any technical inadequacies can be masked to a certain extent but they inevitably “come to the surface”.

Mentally you must be patient, your must prepared yourself for the long haul. Active relaxation is the state of mind you’re trying to achieve because if you’re tight you just wont last the distance.

You will get to play every shot in your repertoire so clay court tennis allows more creativity. Choice of shot becomes paramount, pace; spin and trajectory have equal worth. Being able to “hold back” shots and vary impact zones along your swing allow you to make extra use of playing behind your opponent (or wrong footing).

Strategically you have more options on the dirt. If you can mould your game into a multi dimensional weapon you can utilize these styles to pull your opponent out of his rhythm/game. For example, the all-important element of surprise can be fully explored on clay unlike grass courts where you are almost obliged to serve and volley on every point.

With over 50% of the world’s courts being clay it’s only a matter of time before you will get the pleasure of the “gliding slide to the side”. Clay courts are comfortable to play on, no more expensive to install than a hard court, they are safer for your body better for developing your game and allow you to push your tennis to new levels of performance and enjoyment.