- •
Clay court surfaces vary significantly by region
“If you take green clay and rub it between your fingers, it'll probably feel a little bit more like salt, like where it's kind of hard and firm. If you go to like Roland Garros, it's almost like powder, like it's like baking powder. Like they all are a little bit different. I like the thick clay because I wasn't a native mover. I feel like I could commit a little bit more. Whereas like, you know, the European clay can really like expose movement because you have to be so precise and light and like flow.”
- •
Limited domestic clay access hinders American performance
“Clay is rare. It's not the default service in the States. Like warmer climates, there's more clay, right? You go to Florida and there's way more clay. But I always heard that, I was like, we have to do something to make our players better on clay all the time. You know, we need to play year round on clay. I'm like, I don't know, there's three Grand Slams on hardened grass. Like, are we going to commit time and resources to, like, addressing the worst of it and still have to go through RAFA? That doesn't seem smart.”
- •
Ben Shelton's serve remains effective on clay
“I mean, that serve translates anywhere. Potato patch, like when you can serve 140 and then kick it over someone's head both ways. That tends to work. His ball flight on his forehand naturally has a lot of spin on it. You know, I think as the surfaces have become kind of more mono-surface, I think the entire thing is like, can Ben beat me today with his backhand? Which is tough because there's only so many people that can neutralize the serve.”
- •
Prioritize injury recovery during the clay season
“If you have a lingering knee issue, you take the time during the parts of the year where you're probably going to be the least successful. Like, is it smart to play through it, Indian Wells and Miami? Yeah, probably your likelihood of playing through that there and getting a result, it didn't work out for him because there's no script in tennis. But yeah, I mean, if I had something bothering me, I was more likely to try to heal it during the part of the season that was the biggest struggle for me.”
- •
Alexander Zverev is a primary French Open contender
“I love answering questions about the French Open. We haven't played a tournament on clay yet. It's my favorite. Zverev. I mean, he's been in the final. He's won master series on it. Like you go back and you recreate his career and you take out those names you just said, and he's looking at five or six slams.”
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“Clay is rare. It's not the default service in the States. Like warmer climates, there's more clay, right? You go to Florida and there's way more clay. But I always heard that, I was like, we have to do something to make our players better on clay all the time. You know, we need to play year round on clay. I'm like, I don't know, there's three Grand Slams on hardened grass. Like, are we going to commit time and resources to, like, addressing the worst of it and still have to go through RAFA? That doesn't seem smart.”
- •
Clay court surfaces vary significantly by region
“If you take green clay and rub it between your fingers, it'll probably feel a little bit more like salt, like where it's kind of hard and firm. If you go to like Roland Garros, it's almost like powder, like it's like baking powder. Like they all are a little bit different. I like the thick clay because I wasn't a native mover. I feel like I could commit a little bit more. Whereas like, you know, the European clay can really like expose movement because you have to be so precise and light and like flow.”
- •
Limited domestic clay access hinders American performance
“Clay is rare. It's not the default service in the States. Like warmer climates, there's more clay, right? You go to Florida and there's way more clay. But I always heard that, I was like, we have to do something to make our players better on clay all the time. You know, we need to play year round on clay. I'm like, I don't know, there's three Grand Slams on hardened grass. Like, are we going to commit time and resources to, like, addressing the worst of it and still have to go through RAFA? That doesn't seem smart.”
- •
Ben Shelton's serve remains effective on clay
“I mean, that serve translates anywhere. Potato patch, like when you can serve 140 and then kick it over someone's head both ways. That tends to work. His ball flight on his forehand naturally has a lot of spin on it. You know, I think as the surfaces have become kind of more mono-surface, I think the entire thing is like, can Ben beat me today with his backhand? Which is tough because there's only so many people that can neutralize the serve.”
- •
Prioritize injury recovery during the clay season
“If you have a lingering knee issue, you take the time during the parts of the year where you're probably going to be the least successful. Like, is it smart to play through it, Indian Wells and Miami? Yeah, probably your likelihood of playing through that there and getting a result, it didn't work out for him because there's no script in tennis. But yeah, I mean, if I had something bothering me, I was more likely to try to heal it during the part of the season that was the biggest struggle for me.”
- •
Alexander Zverev is a primary French Open contender
“I love answering questions about the French Open. We haven't played a tournament on clay yet. It's my favorite. Zverev. I mean, he's been in the final. He's won master series on it. Like you go back and you recreate his career and you take out those names you just said, and he's looking at five or six slams.”
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