Weapons of Mass Destruction
The clay court skills of the Spanish are defining the future of pro tennis; will the US be able to keep up?
By Beth Rifkin
Emilio Sanchez these days divides his time between his famed Sanchez-Casal tennis academy in Barcelona, Spain and the branch in Naples, Florida. The latter an example of his exquisite foresight; when changes in the way tennis is played affected the professional game the former top Spanish pro and current coach was already a master at teaching the skills that allowed players to excel within the new requirements, which slanted greatly towards those who maneuvered well on clay courts. In the past, this type of ability mostly only mattered to coaches and players from localities deemed “clay court nations”, such as Latin America and some European countries, most notably Spain. But it slowly began to be noticed that players from those regions of the world, who once couldn’t make much of a dent on other surfaces, were excelling at tournaments like Indian Wells, London, Wimbledon and the US Open. Change happened, and Sanchez recognized early on the extent to which the trend would reach.
“Today you play clay tennis on every court,” Sanchez told me. “Twenty-five years ago there were specialists on every surface, but now the kind of training that you do on clay is the type that you do on all surfaces.”
The way that tennis has changed over the last 5-10 years is in many regards a thing of beauty; the game has been slowed down. Though viewed with a bit of contention by traditionalists who favor the serve and volley approach for a fast finish, the now longer points mean that fans are treated to grueling one-on-one battles where split-second strategy must be combined with record-speed serves, 90 mph forehands, lightning fast footwork and endurance to last in matches that may run upwards of 3-5 hours. A combination of aspects over a number of years – heavier denser balls, advances in string technology and alterations (slowing) of surfaces – has elevated the competition, physicality and athleticism to a level never before seen in tennis.
The Spanish training methods have historically infused players with a true understanding of how the game is played and provided them with the exact skills needed to excel in today’s atmosphere – building points, dedication, technique, fitness and endurance – creating a more overall-complete player. Sanchez, who led Spain to a Davis Cup championship in 2008 and has coached top pros Andy Murray, David Nalbandian, Martina Hingis, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Daniela Hantuchova and Martina Navritilova, among many others, believes these types of skills are now imperative for success on the pro tour, “I think the Europeans will be the example now because the heaviness of the game is a big advantage for players who are able to play on clay. Players need to work and train as hard as they can and be in incredible shape. Clay helps you do that.” Like Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who along with their intense inner drive to succeed are the two best clay court players currently in competition, respectively, if not ever. And they are also the players that have dominated the Tour for the last several years.
Since slow clay courts demand the execution of such aspects, it has become the ultimate training surface, and it is an antithesis to what every player growing up or training in the United States has learned. Not necessarily impatient, as has been projected, but for years Americans have been taught to put the ball away quickly in as few shots as possible, as was funneled down from the (once) fast hardcourt US Open.
“Back when I started playing there were a lot of fast court tournaments that were conducive to quick, aggressive players. Now it’s difficult to find that when looking at the schedule,” says Justin Gimelstob, Tennis Channel on-air commentator and former pro player. “Moscow used to be incredibly fast in late 90’s and early 2000’s, by the end of my career it was one of the slowest tournaments. The same with Indian Wells; it was always known as a fast tournament, especially with the thinner air, but the balls became heavy and the court gritty. An example on grass, when Federer started he was winning points by serving and volleying, and the ’98 Wimbledon final between Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic there was no point over two shots. Now Wimbledon looks like Roland Garros.”
American players had previously served as model champions of the Open Era. But when all nine American men entered in singles play at the 2007 French Open were knocked-out in the first round, it was an indication that a change in training and strategy were desperately needed. And now, while the US does have top 10 talent, (Andy Roddick, Venus and Serena Williams, Bob and Mike Bryan), the United States has lost its status as the tennis power nation and there’s a very real fear that they may never get it back.
So it’s about clay but it isn’t about clay, in that, it’s not all about sliding and it goes deeper than having an American win at Roland Garros. “It’s imperative for players in this generation to develop an adaptation,” says Gimelstob. “Players have to concede as a result of evolution, respect the court and what your opponent is doing to you as a result. It is much more physical for tennis players now, it used to be more ball strikes and you had to be technically savvy – now you can’t be successful without being a great athlete. Players have to cover and play defense and move in order to be successful. These days you’re seeing the hybrid type of player like Marin Cilic, Juan Martin Del Potro and Sam Querrey do well; bigger guys that can move and hit – that’s what it takes.”
Gimelstob’s Tennis Channel co-commentator, Ted Robinson, agrees, “Tennis is about solving problems and there’s no surface more than clay that forces that on you. But the obvious reality is that you just can’t play on clay – tennis is played on all surfaces so hardcourt and grass have to be part of the program. Most important is that our players need to be able to think on the court, play with purpose and construct points.”
Owned with former doubles partner Sergio Casal, both locations of the Sanchez-Casal Academy are heavy on clay court training, but Sanchez’s focus is on the Spanish philosophy. He explains, “For Americans it is a single game, but tennis is really an opponent game. You have to be able to receive the power from the opponent. When you learn to play on hardcourts the ball comes to you. On clay you have to move away from the ball, whether it’s short or long. The advantage is that you are much more consistent; when you get used to playing behind the ball, you don’t make as many mistakes.”
“It’s better to play as much on clay as possible, but similar skills can be learned on slow hardcourts. The important part is that there will have to be a change in mentality regarding training,” says Sanchez, “Not focused just on hitting but more on the roots of the game, from the bottom up, with a high level of practice and competition so that when juniors are 16 or 18 they are better conditioned to make the next step in tournaments and get to the next level. A new way will have to be taught to many coaches in order to make a difference. The tennis clubs around the country will have to teach in a new way,”
And that is what has started to happen. Under the direction of former pro player, ESPN commentator and Davis Cup coach Patrick McEnroe, who led the US Davis Cup team to a championship n 2007, the USTA has started to overhaul the training system throughout the country via their Elite Player Development program. Assisting McEnroe as the Director of Coaching is Spaniard Jose Higueras, former player and coach to the likes of Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, among others. Higueras is working to implement regional training centers around the country so that consistent coaching methods and philosophies will systematically be delivered to promising young players.
USTA Elite Development Program coach, Troy Hahn, believes the new approach is working, “It’s been a year and a half since we started implementing this kind of training method and so far it has helped, we’re seeing improvement in players by leaps and bounds. The kids are backing up on the court a bit, absorbing the ball better and they’re taking the ball on the rise.”
A continual challenge is that outside of Florida clay courts are scarce and the cost of installing and maintaining red clay is beyond the capability of most tennis clubs. “It’s tough in many locations around the country where there are not a lot of clay courts, but we are still able to teach the mentality,” says Hahn, “It is easier to go from clay to hard than the other way, but we can teach the kids the clay court mentally, which is a great asset.”
Robinson comments, “We learn what we’re exposed to; tennis is played on hard courts in the US and that is unlikely to change, but it doesn’t have to. What benefits the player is if they are able to mix in more clay court – physically you have to hit more balls to win a point, sheer logic dictates that a young player is going to have to learn how to play on clay.” It was just recently announced that four clay courts will be installed at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, NY, which will give rising players more exposure and access to clay, while also hoping to send the message that the United States is serious about cutting-edge training.
“It will be interesting to see in five years or so if people start to install more clay courts,” says Hahn. “It will be an interesting balance between cost and demand. Hopefully as we organize more tournaments the number of clay courts around the country will increase a bit.”
Sanchez has 37 clay courts at his Naples Academy. Foresight pays off.
May, 2010
