Pace & bounce in Australian Open this year...

That is not the monopoly of the WACA.  The new surface at the Melbourne Park will have abundance of the two factors, which the Australian Open organises hope will make the first Grand Slam of the year more exciting, writes Satya Siddharth Rath

It grew on the softness of grass, way back in 1905. First called the Australasian Championships, it became Australian Championships in 1927, and was finally renamed Australian Open in 1969.

But the lush green lawns of Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, were, after some years, found to be ‘too slow’ for the game. Something different needed to be done to bring back the crowds, and ‘speed up’ the proceedings.

It was then decided to shift the venue, from the sleepy town of Kooyong to the vibrant city of Melbourne, as also a change in surface.

So, in 1988, the year’s first Grand Slam moved to its current venue — the Melbourne Park (then called Flinders Park) — beside the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

But the new Rebound Ace surface, though making the game faster and livelier, also resulted in a spate of injuries. Players began complaining about the inconsistent pace and bounce of the surface, including former US Open and Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the surface, even blaming it for his string of injuries.

The main problem has, of course, been the hallucination-inducing heat in Melbourne as the timing of the event coincides with the Australian summer, but the even bigger problem with the Rebound Ace surface is that it heats up too fast, thereby making life hell for players on the court. There have been several instances of players fainting due to dehydration in the past.

After 20 years, the players’ pleas, it seems, has had an effect. So this year’s event, set to begin this Monday, will be played on a fresh surface — a new acrylic court composition, which, organisers believe, will have a more consistent pace and bounce.

The new Plexicushion surface will continue to play medium to medium-fast, but will be firmer and have lower heat retention. The colour of the courts, too, has changed — from green to greyish blue.

But while Hewitt, runner-up at the Open in 2005 and still the home nation’s best hope for a men’s champion since Mark Edmondson in 1976, has endorsed the surface, others have been sceptical.

“I thought it was going to be faster but it seems to be a lot slower,” Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic observes. “It seems quite slower, the balls get really fluffy.

American Mardy Fish is even more forthright: “I am not a huge fan of it, to be honest. It plays extremely slow. I am not a big fan.”

Indian ace Leander Paes, however, is hopeful. “I think it will become faster. I think it’s much better than the earlier surface. But it’s too early to predict,” he says. World number one Roger Federer, who pulled out of this week’s warm-up event in Kooyong with a stomach bug, too is optimistic. “It’s too early to say how it will behave. But it looks good from the outside and I can only say I can’t wait to play on it,” is his take.

Tournament director Craig Tiley explains the surface: “The new surface will have a different cushioning system to the Rebound Ace product, including a lower rubber content. It’ll be firmer under the foot. I am sure players will enjoy playing on it.”

Cushion for the feet
New surface will retain less heat
In the past the courts have been laid using pre-formed rubber mats. The new surface involves applying multiple layers of rubber-filled resin to the base to achieve a consistent result

Base mounted on concrete/ asphalt
The surface is much similar to the one used at the US Open but has more cushioning and differs in the type of sand used in the top paint

The earlier (Rebound Ace) surface got sticky when it got hot. The new surface has better grip.