5. Fast-court play is something else entirely!
Wimbledon gives fans an insight into basic physics. With the Championships played right after the French Open on the Grand Slam calendar, players make a gradual transition from the slowest surface – clay – to the fastest.
The tennis ball grips on clay due to the friction between the ball and the court surface; this is not the case at Wimbledon, where the ball has a smaller, more slippery surface area to grip on to.
This may seem like an ‘easy’ lesson, but watching the players dramatically alter their style of play gives fans a crucial understanding of just how much tennis depends on physics. Attack is rewarded more than defense, precision is more valuable than consistency, the margin of error is lower, and most strikingly, patience is of the utmost importance.
And all that because the surface plays faster!
