Why did they slow down Wimbledon?
I cannot for the life of me understand why Wimbledon has gone ahead and slowed the courts and changed the balls at SW19. They have changed the balls to make play slower to ensure longer rallies and slow serves. This is what made Wimbledon a classic battlefield throughout the decades because players had to change tactics and mind sets in order to compete directly after the French.
Bjorn Borg does not get enough credit for what he did in winning all of his titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, back when Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Edberg, Lendl played, the clay was slow and the grass was lightening fast with fast balls. The clay required incredible fitness, great patience and solid ground strokes. The grass required a great understanding of fast court tactics, excellent returns and an attacking mentality.
This has become a blur as most players are making the transition onto the grass very easily nowadays not because they are adaptable or better than past generations but because it is so much easier, point in case David Nalbandian and Lleyton Hewitt making the Wimbledon final?
Federer has dominated Wimbledon for the last five years because he has the most complete game on tour, possibly ever. Nadal made the final last year and pushed Federer to five sets but Nadal will struggle on the grass as he relies on his movement and defense too much to make a serious recurring threat at SW 19. Federer will win Wimbledon another 2-3 times before ending his career as he is the most comfortable player in the world moving from defense to offense in a blink of an eye and grass allows him to do this as the grass still gives him an edge as the bounce is lower and the ball skids towards the player robbing them of time to try and make a passing shot or offensive shot.
I believe they have taken the tradition of Wimbledon away as they have tried to make it to much like the other majors. Wimbledon was different and that is what made it great.
Other players to watch:
Mario Ancic is the last player to beat Federer at Wimbledon and is healthy and charging back up the rankings after been out with injuries.
Novak Djokovic: Great serve, great ground strokes but still needs to work on his volleys to be effective at Wimbledon.
Kevin Anderson: Huge serve, great all round game for a 6′7 South African.
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Good point. But it needs to be tempered a little with the following, I believe:
1) Federer won his 5 consecutive Wimbledons well after the grass courts of Wimbledon had been slowed down (even though apparently they have been slowed down a bit further recently). This is not to say that he is not a very rounded player: he absolutely is and has an incredible ability to pass from defense to offence, but he has not been playing the type of attacking game on grass that used to be common in the days of wooden rackets and a very fast grass - faster at least earlier in the two weeks of play. Borg won his 5 consecutive before in those old times of fast courts and wooden rackets.
2) The slowing down was in good part related to the deep changes in the game due to the change in racket materials and sizes (frame and strings), and, separately, the evolution of player training and conditioning. It’s impossible to understand the current change of play on grass by considering only the changes to the surface and balls.