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7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
What the mad Battle of the Surfaces taught us about tennis
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer engaged in one of the most bizarre tennis matches in the history of the game 18 years ago - Getty Imaes/Bob Martin Just over 18 years ago, in May 2007, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer engaged in one of the most bizarre tennis matches in the history of the game. In front of an intrigued crowd of some 7,000 packing the temporary stands installed in the tennis club in Palma Majorca, they played out three sets on a court that was grass on one side of the net, clay on the other. The idea of this grandly titled Battle of the Surfaces was to highlight the different approaches required to master the two types of court, to see who could adapt quickest to the altered rhythms and requirements each demands. And they are different. Very different. Clay courts are made of crushed brick particles, and the surface creates substantial friction that slows the ball down as it hits the surface. Whereas on grass the ball skids and slips, retaining much of its pace. Advertisement A serve hit at 100mph would strike grass and rise off at 92mph; on clay it would slow to 78mph, a difference of 20%. The angle of bounce is also substantially different. On grass, a ball hitting the surface at 16 degrees will not deviate, it goes up and away still at 16 degrees. On clay, it bounces much higher, up to 20 degrees. Which means players need to stand further back in order to adequately return the ball. On clay, moreover, a player can use the surface to slide into a shot. On grass, attempting such a manoeuvre would merely result in slipping over. In short, clay favours the baseline game, grass the serve and volley. It means players have to adapt. But generally, between the end of the clay season with the French Open in May and the climax of the grass season at Wimbledon in late June, players have a bit of time to do so. Not in The Battle of the Surfaces. Federer, the serial Wimbledon champion – at the time unbeaten in 48 matches on grass – had just two games to alter his grip, stand further back and bring more spin to his game. Nadal, the King of Paris, unbeaten in 72 matches on the red stuff, was suddenly obliged, when playing on the grass half, to charge at the net, to volley where he might have rallied. And that is without mentioning the sudden strain on their bodies. Federer and Nadal were required to modify their game every time they switched ends during the Battle of the Surfaces - Getty Images/Bob Martin 'We call it 'Grass Arse',' says Emily Webley-Smith, the British doubles player who has spent the past 20-odd years on the women's circuit. 'For the first couple of days after switching from clay to grass you get such tight glutes from forcing yourself to stay low because of the difference in bounce.' Advertisement Indeed, as she moves from clay to grass at this time of year, Webley-Smith's entire training programme changes in preparation for the new conditions. 'It's better to concentrate on what we call 'serve plus one' rather than rallying for 15 shots, simply because the rallies are so much shorter on grass,' she says. 'Your speed drills are shorter and more explosive – five to eight seconds instead of 10-15 seconds. There is lots of focus on first-step speed. It's a mental workout, too. You play at least a metre further back from the baseline on clay. So you have to keep telling yourself to get forward on grass.' In 2007, Federer and Nadal were doing this every time they switched ends. As supreme practitioners, they were better equipped than most to modify their game. But even the best find it a challenge. Last year Carlos Alcaraz became only the sixth man to have won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season: before Alcaraz, Björn Borg did it three times, Nadal twice, Rod Laver, Federer and Novak Djokovic once each. Great champions such as Pete Sampras, despite lifting the Wimbledon title seven times, only once got so far as the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Andy Murray fared a touch better, once reaching the French Open final. And it is not much more frequent an occurrence in the women's game. Steffi Graf did the double four times, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova twice, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Billie Jean King and Chris Evert once each. Advertisement 'It's crazily hard,' says Webley-Smith of the switch. 'Especially as for the majority of the season, you're playing on a different surface again: hard courts.' Modern players try all sorts of ways to speed up the process. The American Peyton Stearns posted a video of herself in June practising for the grass season on what appeared to be an old green carpet laid out across a hard court. 'It was bizarre. It looked like the kind of Astroturf they use in cricket nets,' says Webley-Smith. 'I'm not sure how much help that will be. But we'll see.' For many players, no amount of adaptation will compensate for the fact their game was built on the kind of surfaces they played on in their youth. In Europe that means clay. Across the rest of the world it is hard courts. And in Britain, well that is changing. Advertisement 'Fewer clubs here have grass courts these days,' says Webley-Smith, who was playing on the green stuff from the age of eight. 'I much prefer it, aesthetically if nothing else. For me, it is what tennis should be played on. I remember going to Wimbledon as a kid and seeing those beautiful green courts and thinking: 'I want to play here'.' Even as developments in ball technology and the type of grass used at the All England Club have made the difference less pronounced, it remains one of the oddities – and attractions – of the sport that the surface conditions have such a profound effect on the style of play. Not that we will ever see a repeat of the match that tried to demonstrate which was the better way of doing things. Not least because the odd half-and-half court for that contest in Majorca took 19 days of hard labour to prepare and reportedly cost an eye-watering £1.2 million. As for the outcome, much to the delight of his home crowd, Nadal won by two sets to one. A result that was almost immediately forgotten. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
What the mad Battle of the Surfaces taught us about tennis
Just over 18 years ago, in May 2007, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer engaged in one of the most bizarre tennis matches in the history of the game. In front of an intrigued crowd of some 7,000 packing the temporary stands installed in the tennis club in Palma Majorca, they played out three sets on a court that was grass on one side of the net, clay on the other. The idea of this grandly titled Battle of the Surfaces was to highlight the different approaches required to master the two types of court, to see who could adapt quickest to the altered rhythms and requirements each demands. And they are different. Very different. Clay courts are made of crushed brick particles, and the surface creates substantial friction that slows the ball down as it hits the surface. Whereas on grass the ball skids and slips, retaining much of its pace. A serve hit at 100mph would strike grass and rise off at 92mph; on clay it would slow to 78mph, a difference of 20%. The angle of bounce is also substantially different. On grass, a ball hitting the surface at 16 degrees will not deviate, it goes up and away still at 16 degrees. On clay, it bounces much higher, up to 20 degrees. Which means players need to stand further back in order to adequately return the ball. On clay, moreover, a player can use the surface to slide into a shot. On grass, attempting such a manoeuvre would merely result in slipping over. In short, clay favours the baseline game, grass the serve and volley. It means players have to adapt. But generally, between the end of the clay season with the French Open in May and the climax of the grass season at Wimbledon in late June, players have a bit of time to do so. Not in The Battle of the Surfaces. Federer, the serial Wimbledon champion – at the time unbeaten in 48 matches on grass – had just two games to alter his grip, stand further back and bring more spin to his game. Nadal, the King of Paris, unbeaten in 72 matches on the red stuff, was suddenly obliged, when playing on the grass half, to charge at the net, to volley where he might have rallied. And that is without mentioning the sudden strain on their bodies. 'We call it 'Grass Arse',' says Emily Webley-Smith, the British doubles player who has spent the past 20-odd years on the women's circuit. 'For the first couple of days after switching from clay to grass you get such tight glutes from forcing yourself to stay low because of the difference in bounce.' Indeed, as she moves from clay to grass at this time of year, Webley-Smith's entire training programme changes in preparation for the new conditions. 'It's better to concentrate on what we call 'serve plus one' rather than rallying for 15 shots, simply because the rallies are so much shorter on grass,' she says. 'Your speed drills are shorter and more explosive – five to eight seconds instead of 10-15 seconds. There is lots of focus on first-step speed. It's a mental workout, too. You play at least a metre further back from the baseline on clay. So you have to keep telling yourself to get forward on grass.' In 2007, Federer and Nadal were doing this every time they switched ends. As supreme practitioners, they were better equipped than most to modify their game. But even the best find it a challenge. Last year Carlos Alcaraz became only the sixth man to have won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same season: before Alcaraz, Björn Borg did it three times, Nadal twice, Rod Laver, Federer and Novak Djokovic once each. Great champions such as Pete Sampras, despite lifting the Wimbledon title seven times, only once got so far as the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Andy Murray fared a touch better, once reaching the French Open final. And it is not much more frequent an occurrence in the women's game. Steffi Graf did the double four times, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova twice, Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Billie Jean King and Chris Evert once each. 'It's crazily hard,' says Webley-Smith of the switch. 'Especially as for the majority of the season, you're playing on a different surface again: hard courts.' @peystearns DIY Wimbledon… #tennis #wimbledon #tennisplayer #tennistiktok #grass ♬ what is love haddaway - whitelinesprettybabyy Modern players try all sorts of ways to speed up the process. The American Peyton Stearns posted a video of herself in June practising for the grass season on what appeared to be an old green carpet laid out across a hard court. 'It was bizarre. It looked like the kind of Astroturf they use in cricket nets,' says Webley-Smith. 'I'm not sure how much help that will be. But we'll see.' For many players, no amount of adaptation will compensate for the fact their game was built on the kind of surfaces they played on in their youth. In Europe that means clay. Across the rest of the world it is hard courts. And in Britain, well that is changing. 'Fewer clubs here have grass courts these days,' says Webley-Smith, who was playing on the green stuff from the age of eight. 'I much prefer it, aesthetically if nothing else. For me, it is what tennis should be played on. I remember going to Wimbledon as a kid and seeing those beautiful green courts and thinking: 'I want to play here'.' Even as developments in ball technology and the type of grass used at the All England Club have made the difference less pronounced, it remains one of the oddities – and attractions – of the sport that the surface conditions have such a profound effect on the style of play. Not that we will ever see a repeat of the match that tried to demonstrate which was the better way of doing things. Not least because the odd half-and-half court for that contest in Majorca took 19 days of hard labour to prepare and reportedly cost an eye-watering £1.2 million. As for the outcome, much to the delight of his home crowd, Nadal won by two sets to one. A result that was almost immediately forgotten.
Independent Singapore
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Independent Singapore
Rafael Nadal to be 'excited' to have a friendly match against iconic rival Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal would be delighted and excited about the idea of playing against his iconic rival, Roger Federer, in a friendly exhibition match, according to Rafael's former coach and uncle, Toni Nadal. Nadal and Federer had one of the most exciting rivalry matches in tennis history as they fought each other 40 times, including 14 Grand Slam matches. Their last official match was in 2019, in which Federer defeated Nadal in the Wimbledon semi-finals. Moreover, both athletes played several exhibition matches during their careers, especially while they were still playing on the tour. The last one was in 2020 in Cape Town, where they played in front of 51,954 people. Federer then retired from professional tennis in 2022, and Nadal recently retired two years later in 2024. Toni Nadal said that he believes that an exhibition match between the tennis stars will happen soon. He stated that fans might not have to wait long to see their tennis greats share the court once again. ' I imagine he would like to play an exhibition match with Federer soon, to give back a little of what tennis has given him and what tennis has meant to him,' Toni expressed. Furthermore, Toni Nadal also admitted that it would be much more 'special' if Nadal and Federer had a chance to play against another long-time rival, Novak Djokovic. Recently, Djokovic defeated Mackenzie McDonald in the first round of the French Open. Toni Nadal also said, 'It would be very special for people to see the three of them playing again. And yes, I think they'll have to do something, because I suppose it will motivate people to see them play again in the future… I think I've been close enough to him to know him a little and know that he would be excited to play Federer.' 'Tennis has been a big part of his life; it has meant a lot to him, and you can't just erase that from one day to the next,' he added. When Toni was asked about when these matches might happen, he did not give an exact date. He stated: 'After these months away from the courts, I think that at some point he will want to get back to training and feel that he is hitting the ball well… I am convinced that he will play again soon, quite soon.' See also Golden gift from Shanti Pereira and Remy Ong to National Museum In this year's French Open, Rafael Nadal was given a special tribute for his legendary contribution to the tournament. In a social media post, the athlete shared, 'I don't know where to start, because after playing on this court for the last 20 years, after enjoying, suffering, winning, losing, and most of all, after being moved every time I've had the chance to be here! (translated)' Nadal added, 'Roland-Garros is unique, not only because he is a fundamental part of the history of tennis, but also thanks to all the people who work there tirelessly, always with a smile, to make this tournament what it is: UNIQUE…. Thank you France 🇫🇷, thank you Paris! (translated)' Netizens flooded Rafael Nadal's social media with messages of admiration and appreciation following his emotional tribute at Roland-Garros. One wrote, 'Thank you for everything, Rafa! You are legend not only in tennis but also in sports. You're an inspiration on and off the court! A tribute to the height of the immense champion that you are.' Another echoed the sentiment, 'It's a testament to how loved and adored Rafa is in the tennis world that his retirement continues to stir so many emotions. We love you Rafa. Thanks for the memories. And dear French People, pure class 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.' In another social media post, Rafael Nadal posted a photo of himself with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray with the caption: 'Thank you guys ☺️… From the bottom of my heart!' Fans warmly embraced the moment. 'Legends. The best rivalries! The finest gentlemen! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ How lucky we are to witness this era of tennis! 🎾' wrote one. Another added, 'The greatest era of men's tennis ❤️.'
