Speed of US Open Courts Stymies Nadal, Suits Federer & Murray

PETE ZIEBRON

 Rafael Nadal will attempt to complete the career Grand Slam on the fast courts in New York.                                    Pete Ziebron Images 

2010 US OPEN Preview

Rafael Nadal, owner of 2 Grand Slam titles in 2010 and 8 overall, will attempt to become the 7th player in history to record a career Grand Slam at the US Open in New York during the next 2 weeks.  Historically, Nadal has had difficulty on the fast courts in Cincinnati and New York and has not advanced past the semifinals in either tournament.

Although poised to win the US Open, Nadal realizes that the speed of the courts in New York does not do his game any favors.  

• Two weeks ago in Cincinnati, I asked Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to compare the speed of the courts in Toronto, Cincinnati and New York and to share their preferences. 

Nadal expounded on the facts that the varying differences in the speed of the courts impact his ability to hit his backhand slice in the manner he wishes and that attempting to get used to different court speeds as well as a different ball in New York can also be a struggle: "Seems I am a little bit afraid to hit the ball with the backhand. The feeling I know is not the best for me now with the backhand. 

But anyway, I have to hit if I really want to have chances to keep winning. It's gonna be impossible keep winning here (Cincinnati), and for sure for the US Open gonna be impossible. I have to do it, and I gonna do it. I am sure.

The court here (Cincinnati) doesn't help me for get the right feeling to do this, because I don't have a lot of time and the bounces is low. But I have a good backhand. Not now, but I gonna do it. I am sure. The ball is a big difference. You know, the ball here is Penn and is the Wilson at US Open. So it's very different, the ball. But is a mixed between both, I think. I think it's slower than here for sure, but at the same time it's a little bit faster than Toronto. The bounce is not that high than Toronto. 

So I will love to have that ball in US Open." 

Five-time US Open Champion and 4-time Cincinnati Champion Roger Federer expressed his preference for the fast courts, despite their challenges: "I like quick courts, you know, but they're really hard to manage early on in a tournament, especially that we have so few faster hardcourts out there that it's just like kind of hard to get the rhythm. You're scared of those quick breaks because, you know, you doesn't serve it perfect, the ball comes back, and the next thing you know you're always under pressure.

 So we kind of lost that feeling for playing quick points sometimes, and that can kind of be a bit intimidating, you know.But I've played really well here in the past. I've always had incredible success at the US Open. I wish we had more courts like this, but unfortunately it's not the case anymore. "

Federer's take on the favorites at the 2010 US Open?: "I guess top 4 have the best shot again, you know, naturally. We can all play really well on the hardcourts. Murray has proven himself, so has Djokovic on the hardcourts and so has Rafa. He's won the Australian Open. 

Maybe US Open is a bit faster, so you figure Rafa will struggle a bit more. But if the draw goes his way, he'll be in the finals and have a crack to the title, too. He knows how to win slams. He's won all the other ones. So I think it's gonna be an interesting US Open. Many guys are playing well again. Murray didn't win a tournament for a long time, and he's been able to win Toronto again. So that definitely puts him as one of the favorites as well."

Andy Murray prefers the court speed in New York compared to Toronto and Cincinnati: "I like New York probably. It's good. But I've obviously played well in Canada. I've played well in all the tournaments, so I do like the hardcourts.  The ball I think probably bounces a bit higher in New York." 

Novak Djokovic also chimed in on the vast difference in the speed of court in Toronto and Cincinnati: "I was a little bit surprised when I come here how different it is from Canada to here. Canada it's slower and you get to control the ball a little bit more, although maybe it bounces slightly more than it does here in these courts. But these courts are faster.  And it's, well, probably suitable to my game." 

Finally Ernests Gulbis, a free spirit who tends to speak his mind with the press, commented on the fact that center court and court 3 in Cincinnati have varying speeds: "The courts here are strange, because court No. 3 is like ice; I mean, it was much tougher to return and it was much faster everything. Center court is three times slower. I don't know how it's possible in a tournament every court is different.  I think it's strange."

Last year, the ATP swapped the dates of the Madrid Masters 1000 and the Rome Masters 1000 since the speed of the clay courts in Madrid better resembled the speed on the courts at Roland Garros.  When I asked Rafael Nadal if he would like to see more consistency in the speed of the courts in Toronto and Cincinnati, heading into the US Open, he replied: "Yeah, that's something in the future the tournaments can work to make the courts more...similar, more similar between Toronto and here or between Montreal and here, no? Because, you know, for us it's difficult to adapt, especially if you only have one or two days. When you arrive semifinals or finals, it's not easy to adapt, especially in the beginning. So it's big change. This first match always is very dangerous."

The only one of 9 Masters 1000 tournaments where Rafael Nadal has not advanced to a Final is on the fast courts in Cincinnati.  The only one of the 4 Grand Slams where Nadal has not advanced to a Final is on the fast courts at the US Open in New York.  The US Open proclaims itself to be "the world's toughest tennis" and Rafael Nadal would wholeheartedly agree.  Presently Nadal is healthy and rested.  Will he finally be able to conquer the career Grand Slam on the fast hard courts at the US Open this year?