Fixture
Clay v/s grass
With the onset of the two most important Grand Slams – The French
Open (in May) and The Wimbledon Championships (in June), Korok
Sengupta finds out what makes these courts so different besides the
very basic difference of clay and grass.
growing up in the days when the walls of
my brother’s room and the school hostel’s
game room adorned navratilova’s poster
of her most famous back hand stroke; or
sampras in air, flicking the yellow ball over
the green turf or the bad boy of the game; or
agassi waiting for the upcoming volley, are
still etched fresh in my mind even today.
The enviable Grass
One hundred and thirty four years after its
inception, since 1877, Wimbledon today
is not just a mere game of lawn tennis but
considered as one of the most coveted of
the four Grand Slams. The Champions,
Wimbledon, started as a simple, single
event—the Gentleman’s Singles—with just
over 200 odd spectators where Spencer
Gore emerged as the first winner of this
tournament. Reports say, spectators paid a
shilling each to watch the game. Well, that
game stands today with lofty prize money
of £13,725,000!
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What started as a single court event is now played over 19 courts of rye grass with Above: The grass court of Wimbledon
the first singles court now known as the ‘Centre Court’. Without the erstwhile Below, left: An ongoing tennis match at The
tradition of the yesteryear’s champion playing only in the finals, the game still Championships, Wimbledon
holds the classic British aura of yesteryears but the rules have kept evolving Facing page: The clay court of Roland Garros
to meet with the present situation. One can never forget the continuous reign
and supremacy of the ever so elegant Pete Sampras or the calm and composed
nature of the currently touted ‘King of grass court’ – Roger Federer. It’s because
of these jewels in the Wimbledon crown that even the British royals are a regular
when the game is on at the centre court.
The adversary: Clay
Experts say that sheer power and exuberance makes one glide over the charismatic
clay of Roland Garros or the French Open. Another of the four Grand Slams, this
court today talks of power, strength and the indomitable spirit of lawn tennis,
which somehow takes a backseat at the classy Wimbledon. The clay, most
definitely a difficult surface to play on, could be mastered only by a few
of the reigning champions of the Wimbledon and that’s why, it’s known
to have favourites of its own. I’ll always cherish the charismatic glides of Bjorn
Borg and strangely feel enthralled by the sheer power and rawness of Rafael
Nadal. When he first appeared in the pro circuit with his trademark there-quarter
tracks, he showed the challenge he was about to bring. The pros of the grass
court were just another opponent in front of the masters of clay. The bounce and
the sluggishness of the clay court changes the dynamics of the players and that’s
what makes all the difference.
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 Fixture

These two events hold a splendid momentum

in the global media when they are up and
running. Wimbledon runs from late June to early
July while the Roland Garros starts just before
that. Roland Garros has the widest worldwide
broadcasting. Wimbledon attracts famous
personalities from all around the world which is
a sure delight to the media in all forms.

Passion unparalled
The Indian contingent has shone bright with
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati winning
the doubles title, both at Wimbledon in
1999 and at Roland Garros in 2001. What is
amazing though, is the passion that lawn tennis
garners from its players as well as its fans. The
love story of the two legends of the grass court,
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf is nothing short
of a wonderful fairytale. The horrendous drama
of Monica Seles being stabbed by a fanatic
Steffi Graf fan in Germany, just after she won
the US Open and the Australian Open created
palpable tension. The charismatic but short-
tempered Boris Becker and his racket breaking
history is a legend. The history of lawn tennis Left: Roger Federer on the clay court
of Roland Garros
has brought forth legends, in their own right,
for us to admire and be withheld for simply the Below, left: Rafael Nadal on the
same court
game they play, the passion they show for it.
Court royals
The current king of the grass court, Roger Federer exuberates the calmness of his
predecessor, Pete Sampras while the undoubted king of the clay court, Rafael Nadal
is surely comparable to the likes legends such as Andre Agassi. The reigning queens
are not to be left out in the race. Justine Henin shows tenacity, similar to that of
Navratilova, Kim Clijsters exudes patience while the ethereal beauty of the erstwhile
queens is carried on by Maria Sharapova and others. There’s beauty, grace, power,
passion, love, emotion, shrieks of outrage on the courts of these two gigantic
annual events. The best parts of these two events are that they are diametrically
diverse in nature, yet the expectations of the people are so high that it automatically
brings forth an out of the world performance each year from the players taking part
in these two tournaments.

Clash of the Titans

Whether it is the clay or the rye, the Roland Garros and the Wimbledon hold
something magical that brings out an amazing vortex of energy in the players. 2008
Wimbledon Finals is touted as the best ever and also the longest in its history,
where Nadal finally got the better of Federer after 4 hours and 48 minutes.
The indomitable spirits of these two greats is proof that with perseverance, even the
king of the grass court can fall before the king of clay.

It doesn’t matter where you are from or whom you have outplayed, what matters
in the end is simply whether you won The Championship, Wimbledon or the French
Open or were you lucky enough to win both!

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