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Wimbledon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rain stops play on Wimbledon's grass courts
From the slow clay courts of Roland Garros, the Grand Slam series heads straight for Wimbledon which has the fastest of all the playing surfaces - grass. Wimbledon is the only major tennis tournament in the world still to be played on grass. It gives the ball a low bounce which can also be very unpredictable. You can never expect the same bounce twice on grass. Because of the low bounce, players with short, compact strokes that do not need as much time to prepare have an advantage. Those who can mix up their game, using slice as well as top spin, drop shots as well as lobs, also do well.
Fast, powerful shots are also very effective on grass. Big servers such as the 2001 champion Goran Ivanisevic have even more of an advantage. And players who can back up their serve by attacking the net ready to volley away a weak return - such as Tim Henman - are best suited to grass. Yet even though Henman is completely at home on the Centre Court turf, he has never managed to lift a Wimbledon title. Who says the grass is always greener!
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