Woodbridge: Knowing the Wimbledon grass

There is such a big difference between Wimbledon’s show courts and the outside courts – more so than at any of the other majors.

If you play on one of the outside courts, particularly from Courts 4 to 11, the public are walking up and down next to the court the whole time. People are strolling, they’re stopping, they’re talking – it’s a genuine thoroughfare. It’s quite unique in that way, and those outside courts can feel very small – if you slide a ball out wide on one of those courts the crowd has to be alert or they’ll get whacked in the head.

As a player, you adapt to these conditions. If you’re on those courts and the flow of the crowd is constant, then you soon get used to it. Conversely, if you’re playing on Centre Court – where there is no movement at all – and someone stands up, all the focus is drawn to that person and you can lose your concentration.

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The courts themselves have changed, too. When I first started playing at Wimbledon, the majority of the courts were what I call ‘earth’ – they were true grass courts. Now, with the new developments (particularly in the Southern end), all of the courts have been totally reconstructed and have concrete bases underneath them. Because of that, they have become so perfect – almost like a billiard table – that the bounce is predictable.

That said, there are a few courts on the Northern side, Courts 4 and 5 in particular, that are still ‘natural’. They have the nuances that you only get on a grass court, and that’s something that has probably been lost more recently. The great grass courters of the day knew where on a particular court there was a slope that you could use to get the ball to slide lower. On Court 3, when I played, there was a little area in the service box where, if you hit it, the ball would take off. If I was returning on that court and I knew the ball was going there, I would know to push harder to get wider to reach the ball.

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As for the show courts, if you look at Centre and No.1 they might look the same but they play very differently. Since the redevelopment of No.1 Court, it has always played slightly slower, with a higher bounce than Centre Court. That’s particularly true in the second week; Centre plays much faster and the ball comes onto the racquet quickly, suiting those who like to meet it.

If you’re an aggressive player like Nick Kyrgios or Karolina Pliskova, you might struggle a bit more on No.1 Court because the ball moves slightly slower meaning that you’re early on to it. A kick serve on No.1 will get more bounce than on Centre, in effect making serve-volleying harder on No.1 Court than on Centre.

These are all slight playing nuances that makes Wimbledon unique amongst the Grand Slams.