French Open: Moulding clay to perfection

It is common knowledge to those who follow tennis with passion that a clay courts are one of the most exciting surfaces to play and watch tennis on. And for long, the stoic symbol of clay surfaces has been the Rolland Garros, home to the French Open. So what really makes the event and its surface, one of the finest arenas of contemporary tennis? Read on.

Clay surfaces are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. Red courts in particular, are made of packed crushed bricks which rules out water absorption to a significant extent. Sceitific jargon aside, these courts usually require a slightly different approach from players because they offer more bounce at a slightly slower speed. While exceptions may depend on a variety of factors including the stamina and strength of contesting players, it has now been established that traditional baseliners usually excel on clay courts.

Some of the bigger names in contemporary international tennis however, had problems of gigantic proportions with the court in Madrid recently. The build-up event to the French Open, the blue court here was criticised because of being a tad too slippery. Even in victories, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal blasted the court saying that the clay used was not fit for tennis. "I want to forget this week as soon as possible and move on to the real clay courts," is what Djokovic had to say when he was eventually ousted by Janko Tipsarevic. (Read Djoko's comments here)

Even Nadal was shocked out and he repeatedly took pot-shots against the court. On the other hand, Roger Federer was the only elite player to not only survive but even win the crown saying that international players must learn to adjust.

What has made this court make headlines was initially an idea to make it more appealing to television viewers. Ion Tiriac, the Romanian owner of the Madrid Masters proposed a change in colour although many felt it was a move to please sponsors.

Most players remained unimpressed saying that the court became more slippery as the weather gets hot. Few also said that they were not consulted on the matter. Though promoters have promised a change (read report here), it has become clear trough all of this that the dynamics of a clay court can depend on a variety of factors and that packing clay and all other matters together to create tennis magic, is not about visual appeal but careful planning and execution.