Slow, slow ... quick, quick, slow

Or should that be:- slow, slow ... slow, slow, slow?

I don't know about you, but I am finding it increasingly tedious with every single tournament that comes on by, we have nothing but the endless "slow" references - This court is playing so slow ... Its so slow ... God its slow ... - and because last year Babolat introduced a different sort of ball which made things faster and thereby delighted several amongst the masses, all the talk pre-tournament was about whether or not the same balls would be used because it seems a "faster" Roland Garros made for a more enjoyable tournament.

Still had the same winner though.

We're all aware that courts were slowed down from the beginning of the last decade - and rightly so because tennis was turning on its head with the tedium of serve tennis - and there is a case to be answered for the other tournaments to make their changes, because what I'm about to say is a really random statement ...

Clay court tennis is supposed to be slow.

Five weeks ago, I was enjoying the Monte Carlo final, and here we are in the last clay court tournament of the season. Its over with that quickly. So lets enjoy this brand of tennis whilst its with us, with the traditional courts of Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Paris playing as they should. And if there's a case to be made for quickening up the game, lets not make it here. Roland Garros isn't where changes to the men's game should be made, it isn't where a traditional brand of the game of tennis should be altered. Save that for the hardcourts, and even Wimbledon, because that's where your problem lies.

But the big question on everyone's lips has seemingly been answered by Djokovic and Federer ... its back to slow balls.

This is what Djokovic had to say after his match today ...

"The ball change is obvious. Last year they were fast and tough to control. So this year they're a little bit heavier."

And Federer ...

"I think the balls are heavy. I think they're slower than last year."

Its almost as if this was greeted with disappointment. Rafa will obviously be asked the same question following his match tomorrow, but of course Rafa's was one of the voices that expressed discontent with the French Open using completely different balls to the other clay court tournaments last year, thereby making everything entirely different. And ummm ... of course got the criticism for being labelled a moaner.

So what would I like to see happen? Well, what I would see as a very positive move is if when someone asks Federer about the balls, he says that they're slow, but rather than making it sound like that's such a negative thing he backs that up by saying that's as it should be ... its clay, and clay should play as clay, and the balls that are used should also contribute to it playing as clay. And that wouldn't it be nice if the other Grand Slams followed the French Open's lead and had their tournament playing as it should do, so as to test the players and present them with the challenges that clay, grass and hardcourts should bring.  You know, throw the mettle down to the other tournaments in a positive way, instead of hitching himself to the "slow" bandwagon when it hasn't exactly done him much dis-service since 2003.

And I'd like to hear Rafa saying "clay is clay" and not be criticised for it, and for him also to back up that its encouraging to play in a Slam as it should be, with the challenges that they bring, and the others should follow suit.  And that's why he works hard and applies himself to be something other than a clay court player, because that's the challenge ... to improve and find a way on other courts.  

So balls to fast balls for this French Open. Its playing as it should do ...