Clay Versus Grass: Why the Surface Changes Everything

Grass is the fastest traditional surface, low bounces, short points, and it rewards serve and volley instincts. Clay slows the ball and raises the bounce, rewarding topspin, stamina and patience, which is why Nadal ruled Paris with heavy rotation.

Hard courts sit between and dominate the modern calendar. Borg winning Paris and Wimbledon back to back three straight years remains one of the great surface adaptions in the history of the sport..