If you want to compete regularly on the biggest stages the ATP Tour has to offer, adaptability is key.
From hard to clay to grass, the world’s top stars have to prepare themselves to compete on courts with different characteristics throughout the season. That diversity of playing surfaces is one of the unique aspects of tennis as a sport, and it is also one of its biggest challenges. Just ask Matteo Arnaldi.
“It’s never easy. When you have to run on clay and on grass, it is completely different,” said the No. 39 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who competed on clay in Hamburg this week shortly after his grass season came to a close at Wimbledon. “On grass you have different movements, you have to stay pretty low. On clay you can stay a bit higher, so that’s the thing I first feel when I change surface.”
From practising sliding to tweaking equipment (including racquets and shoes) and adapting your focus in the gym to different parts of the body, what else does a top player think about when adjusting to a different surface? Find out more from Italy’s Davis Cup-winning star in his Yokohama Performing On Every Surface episode:
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