35. MIND THE GAP

When you think of the tennis tour, the tendency is to think of sun drenched courts in Melbourne or the grand stadia of New York or Wimbledon, but the reality is extremely different!

This week I am court-side with my player at an ITF W60 in Sunderland, UK – a high level tournament (Challenger). I am wearing two pairs of trousers, a body warmer, two coats and a pair of gloves…..and the tournament is being held inside! I feel for the players in their short skirts/shorts and vest tops – I guess they are running around so don’t feel the cold, but even so, it can be tough when the courts are like an ice box and that’s not to mention the steady drip drip drip from water coming in from a hole in the roof.

Two of the courts are closed due to the leaks; whilst two others are being kept dry by the court supervisors and their mops at the end of each game. This is poor – even by British standards – but it’s not the worst I have experienced whilst travelling with a player on the pro tour. Many of the french tournaments for example, are held inside in the winter months, often in shed like buildings with metal roofs, but the centres have no heating and the players have to wear many layers just to keep warm. This is far from ideal as many of the female players, in particular, have told me they hate playing layered up as it restricts their movement and feels alien.

The cold and damp are not the only things players on the ITF tour need to contend with. One of the other issues is the courts themselves. Certainly at the lower levels the court conditions can vary significantly from club to club. Be it poorly laid clay, or grass courts that look more like the badly mown lawn in my neighbours back garden. Then there are the cracks – gaping holes in some cases. I went to a tournament in Manta, Ecuador in 2018. On arrival we noticed massive cracks in the court surface – so significant in fact that only 2 of the 6 courts were usable. On enquiring about them, I was told that there had been an earthquake 6 months previous and they had not yet been repaired. This begs the question, why was the tournament still being staged there? Surely the venues have to meet certain quality criteria before they are permitted to host a pro level event. Not so, it would appear.

All the above said, there are some venues on the lower tiers of the tour that are truly exceptional. The clay courts at Porto Alegre, Brazil, for example, are outstanding. Beautifully maintained; swept and watered to perfection. Similarly, the indoor hard courts at Loughborough University, UK and the outdoor hard courts at the USA College campuses are well maintained and clean, and obviously the courts at the Grand Slam venues are the best of all. But players need to be prepared for anything when travelling on the tour. Players need to be able to adapt and remember that it’s the same for all and the player that handles the conditions better will come through. Bad bounces will occur but you need to get through these levels to earn the privilege to play on the best courts in the world.

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