PETE ZIEBRON
Immediately following the Australian Open, the clay court season gets underway in South America with 250 level tournaments in Chile, Brazil and Argentina followed by a 500 level tourney in Mexico. Perfect, Roland Garros is the next Grand Slam on the schedule. However, after four weeks of play on clay, the action on the dirt is interrupted as the action shifts back to the hard courts in early March with two 96-draw Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami.
Following these significant American hard court tourneys in California and Florida, it is back to the clay in preparation for Roland Garros. The Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo in April is no longer a requirement for the top players and is unfortunately being skipped by a significant portion of the field, including all of the Americans who would be eligible to play. In fact, the Americans usually decide to finally show up in Europe at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, only three weeks prior to Roland Garros. Not exactly the ideal preparation for a Grand Slam.
As a result of waiting until the last possible moment to finally head to Europe to prepare for Roland Garros, the majority of the American contingent also decides to skip several smaller clay court tournaments leading up to the Masters 1000 tournaments in Madrid and Rome. Valuable ATP points are bypassed as a result of skipping the Masters 1000 in Monte-Carlo and the 500 level tourney in Barcelona prior to Madrid and Rome. No wonder the Yanks fair so poorly in Paris each year!
It seems that the only time during the year that tennis is not being played on clay is immediately following Roland Garros, when the brief, five week grass court season takes place. However, there is at least one Challenger tournament being contested on clay in Europe during the grass season, even during both weeks of Wimbledon!
Following Wimbledon and the tiny 250 grass court tournament in Newport the following week, the five week grass court season is over. Obviously, the next Grand Slam is the US Open, played on a hard court. However, it is back to the clay for the majority of the ATP players. Roland Garros is ten months away but that does not discourage several top ten and top twenty players to compete in the clay court tournaments in Europe rather than opt to prepare for the US Open at the hard court tournament in the US Open Series in the United States.
In fact next week, #21 Juan Ignacio Chlea, #24 Feliciano Lopez and #32 Ivan Ljubicic have decided to play the 250 level tournament on clay in Austria rather than prepare for the US Open on the hard court at the 500 level tournament in Washington, DC.
Former Australian Open Finalist Fernando Gonzalez Charles Gabrean Photography
Fernando Gonzalez and Tommy Haas, two veteran players who have battled injuries the past few seasons will play each other in the 1st round in Washington. Gonzalez has a 3-2 record in 2011 and won two matches at Wimbledon. Haas has struggled this year, winning only one match and stands at 1-5.
Following the action in Austria and Washington next week, the ATP Tour features back to back Masters 1000 tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. After a 250 tournament in Winston-Salem, the US Open will get underway in New York.
All throughout the North American hard court season, clay court Challenger tournaments are being contested in Europe - even during the two weeks of the US Open.
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