People of the Internet love lists so here’s one. Unscientific, but what the heck.
What you need to play well on grass
* Bendy knees. Due to a lower bounce you need to be able to bend low and hit the ball from lower positions.
* A good slice. A slide skids nice and low on grass and is a more powerful weapon there than anyone here else. Can definitely be used more aggressively.
* Shorter swings. You don’t have time for big windmill style swings on grass courts. Balls bounce fast and low. You need to be able to adapt your swing quickly.
* A good volley. Goes without saying. You need to get to the net whether you like it or net. For someone like Simon who’s allergic to the net you won’t see massive success on the green.
* A powerful serve. Grass is all about short points and there is no shorter point than an ace or a return error.
* Return game. You need to be able to read your opponent’s serve really well to create successful returns. If you do, you can win the point already off the return.
* The ability to flatten out the ball. Top spin rarely rules the grass like it does the clay.
People to watch out for this season (besides our usual top guys)
Raonic – big serve, power hitter
Tomic – tricky flat shots, great slice
Berdych – flat power
Baghdatis – likes hitting the low ball
Hewitt – usually loves the stuff, but might be too old
Dimitrov – should do better here than on other surfaces thanks to good volley
Lopez – lefty with big serve and lots of serve and volley
Isner – but might be too tall to make it matter
Mahut – serve-volley old-school style
Did I miss something or someone? Let me know in the comments field.
