Moments after Coco Gauff had won her first match at the Eastbourne International and departed from Centre Court, she quickly reappeared on the practice courts nearby. After already spending over an hour in the heat of competition, Gauff began working through another training session.
With Eastbourne’s courts situated a stone’s throw from the sea, the windy conditions were tough and Gauff wanted extra time to feel the ball on her strings. But her reasons for getting back on court so quickly also reflected the reality of this fleeting grass season, which is only three weeks long prior to the start of Wimbledon, meaning every second spent on the surface counts.
“I’m still trying to get used to grass,” said Gauff, laughing. “It’s the toughest surface I think to adjust to because the season is so short, that you better get it together quick or you’re not going to get together until next year.”
Despite her urgency, Gauff is a player who has adjusted well to the grass. It was four years ago at Wimbledon she made her senior debut on the surface, winning six matches as she reached the fourth round from qualifying at 15 years old.
For many others, adapting to moving on the slick surface, the low bounces and varied tactics, can be extremely difficult. Most players do not enjoy competing the week before a grand slam tournament, a week ideally reserved for fine tuning their play and ensuring they do not overexert themselves or pick up an injury. At the beginning of this week, however, the desire for more practice was reflected in eight of the top 10 women signing up for Eastbourne. A ninth, the world No 1 Iga Swatek, was competing in Bad Homburg, Germany.
“I haven’t had a ton of grass-court experience,” said Jessica Pegula, the world No 4. “I always feel like I’m starting to get used to it when I’m out of Wimbledon. It’s like I’m done, and I’m like: ‘Wait, I was just starting to get the hang of it.’”
Despite being 29 years old and possessing a flat-hitting, attacking game that is seemingly suitable for grass, Pegula is still trying to find her feet. “Everyone’s like: ‘It suits your game, you should love grass.’ I’m like: ‘Yeah, but I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that experience yet,’” she said. “Also, I hurt my knee in qualies [qualifying] at Wimbledon five years ago. I think that always puts a little hesitancy into my game, just with my movement. I think you always have that.”
That grass is so difficult to adjust to, yet there are so few opportunities for players to familiarise themselves with the surface, is far from ideal. Modern grass courts have slowed down significantly, no longer playing at breakneck speed with impossibly low and irregular bounces, and it is possible to win from the baseline. But being a great grass player still requires players to be flexible; to constantly look for opportunities to close down the net, to develop a quality slice that can skid off the sleek surface, to consistently make players uncomfortable and to always take the initiative.
The lack of elite grass players is particularly stark in the men’s draw at Wimbledon, where seven-time champion Novak Djokovic has won the past four titles. He has probably become an even bigger tournament favourite at Wimbledon than on hardcourts, his best surface due to the lack of significant opposition. In addition to being leagues better than the field on all surfaces, Djokovic is one of the few players who, over the years, has built an excellent grass-court game. He consistently looks to move to the net, mixes in serve and volley, and his slice has become reliable and effective.
That discomfort some feel on grass is also reflected in the outsized success of British players. The first week of the WTA grass season ended with three British players reaching the semi-finals of Nottingham and an all-British final between Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage, the first since 1975. For Harriet Dart, the more amount of time British players spend on grass each year just before the grass season leads to greater experience over years.
“It’s funny because a lot of the foreigners think we grew up on grass, which is not correct,” Dart said. “We grew up on indoor hard because, let’s be frank, the weather is not good enough in this country for us to play enough on grass. But I think what we do have to our benefit is that as soon as the clay season is done, we are the first to hit on grass.”
Grass is a historic surface; it was once used by the Australian Open and US Open in addition to Wimbledon, and it is a constant reminder of the sport’s storied history. But the current iteration of grass-court tennis can be frustrating for both fans, who wish to see it at its most varied and skilful, and the players, who would benefit from spending more time on the surface each year.
Only the tours prioritising the grass season by increasing its length would make a significant difference, but the associated logistics are incredibly challenging. Discussions continue over the viability of a ATP and WTA 1000 event on grass, but for that to happen the calendar would face another dramatic restructuring and a new venue would have to be found.
Until there is any further change, the entry list for Eastbourne will continue to be packed as players desperately try to figure the surface out before it is all over for another year.
