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With the grass court season underway, it is a good time to look ahead to Eastbourne. Between the 25th and 30th, June players will be competing in the southeast of England, in preparation for Wimbledon. This tournament, in particular, will provide an accurate indication as to how well each player has adjusted to the grass from the clay. Past Eastbourne champions include Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick and Jonas Bjorkman, highlighting the importance of good preparation before a Grand Slam.
This year's line-up is also star-studded, with the likes of Kyle Edmund, Denis Shapovalov, Diego Schwartzman and David Ferrer all taking part. It will be interesting to see how Kyle Edmund copes with the pressure of being British No.1, heading into the grass court season. This could perhaps be the time for Denis Shapovalov to end his wait for an ATP title as he looks to build on his victory at the All England Club as a junior two years ago. Eastbourne could be Diego Schwartzman's time to put his grass-court woes behind him and make it far in the competition. This tournament also includes grass-court specialists like Gilles Muller and Feliciano Lopez, whose strengths suit the grass of Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Will Eastbourne be Shapovalov's first taste of victory on the ATP tour?
The 19 -year- old Canadian is certainly one to watch out for, as he continues to make his mark on the ATP Tour. Shapovalov's all-court game and powerful groundstrokes, make him a threat on all surfaces. Many pundits have praised his shot-making ability, with the teenager capable of creating amazing angles and hitting wonderful trick shots. The youngster is not fearful of reputations, with the world No.23 scoring wins against Juan Martin Del Potro, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal. In fact, Shapovalov’s aggressive and exuberant style has drawn comparisons with how Nadal played in his younger days.
The grass is a surface that the Canadian No.1 likes. His victory at the 2016 Wimbledon Boys’ Championships, proves he is certainly comfortable on this surface, with his serve allowing him to take control of the point from the start of the rally. Shapovalov’s offensive mentality is shown by his ability to flatten his groundstrokes and his willingness to come to the net, all of which are encouraging signs for the future. Another strength is his composure under pressure, with the match against Rogerio Dutra Silva at the 2017 Canadian Open a clear example of this. He saved four match points on his way to a three-set victory, with the second match point saved through an outstanding drop-volley. In his junior Wimbledon win against Alex de Minaur, he secured victory after being a set down.
Can Diego Schwartzman put his grass-court woes behind him?
Over the past two decades, athleticism and physicality have become increasingly important in tennis. The legends of years gone by, such as Ken Rosewall and Rod Laver, are dwarfed by the giants of today. Many players in this era, are six feet and over, with modern athletes hitting the ball harder than ever before. In a time, where height is so crucial, it would inconceivable to think that a player like Diego Schwartzman can have success.
However, the 5ft 7in Argentine has continually defied the odds, breaking into the top 20 and competing against players much taller than him. Over the past year, he has moved from a top 40 player to one on the cusp of the top 10, with a current ranking of 11. He was the only player to take a set off Rafael at this year's Roland Garros and has beat the likes of Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic, with the latter coming in the US Open last year.
The Argentine though is a clay-court specialist, with the ball moving very differently on clay compared to grass. The grass is also a surface to make use of one's serve, but with Schwartzman's lack of height, the serve is naturally one of his weaker areas, lacking in speed and angle. On clay, most of the points involve long baseline rallies, with players often using their defensive skills to win points. With grass being much faster, it is difficult to deploy this style. Furthermore, he has failed to progress past the first round at Wimbledon. However, given the Argentine's ability to defy the odds, he is still one to watch out for at Eastbourne.
Can Gilles Muller replicate the magic of last year's grass-court season?
Before the start of 2017, Gilles Muller had not won a title at ATP level. In his sixteen years on tour, Muller had been to five finals at ATP events, losing all of them. After all those defeats, it would have been difficult to imagine the Luxembourger changing that. Last year, the 35-year-old did just that, ending the wait by winning two ATP titles. One of them came at the Libema Open grass-court tournament, which is a good sign ahead of Eastbourne and Wimbledon. During his junior days, he reached the 2001 Wimbledon Boys' final and despite the loss, there was obvious potential. Even though he did not fulfil the early promise, he recorded a landmark win in his career, beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year.
His big serve and deft touch at the net caused the Spaniard endless problems. His relaxed style and ability to keep points short allowed him to keep on going. Against Nadal, this was key in a match that lasted four hours forty-eight minutes with a gruelling final set that went on two hours fifteen minutes alone. He went on to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Club, where he lost in five sets to the eventual runner-up, Marin Cilic.
Muller's current ranking of 34, does not represent his ability on grass. His title-winning experience and his liking for the surface make him a danger at both Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
Can Feliciano Lopez win a third Eastbourne title?
Feliciano Lopez is a rare breed amongst the Spanish contingent on the ATP tour. The abundance of clay-courts in Spain means the red-dirt is always the preferred surface, for any Spanish player. The list of top clay court players from Spain includes David Ferrer, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Moya and Juan Carlos Ferrero. Lopez however, is most comfortable on grass. His booming serve and flat groundstrokes make his game perfect for the grass at Eastbourne and Wimbledon. The Spaniard also uses the slice quite frequently, with this shot working best on grass, as the ball bounces low. Another aspect that helps the two time Eastbourne champion is that he plays doubles regularly. His volleying skills are therefore world-class, as doubles players spend more time at the net.
His last single's title came at Queen's last year, showing he has winning experience on this surface. He might be 36, but Feliciano Lopez is still capable of causing damage at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.
