Hard-court specialist
Encyclopedia
A hard-court specialist is a tennis
player who excels on hard courts, but does not perform to the same standard on clay courts, grass courts, or other surfaces. The term is most frequently applied to professional players on the ATP
or WTA
tours rather than to average players. Many players from the United States are considered to be hard-court specialists due to the prevalence of hard courts there. They are thus accustomed to the unique skills the surface requires.
For example, a common feature of hard-court specialists is their ability to run extraordinarily quickly, a skill that is needed on this surface because the hard courts do not permit sliding to get to the ball as clay courts do. Many hard-court specialists are also very adept at hitting the ball hard and flat, without imparting too much spin on the ball, an especially effective shot on the surface because the ball tends to bounce much more quickly than on clay courts or most other surfaces, so it reduces the chances of the opponent getting a clean shot, or even any shot, on the ball.
The term "hard-court specialist" is not pejorative, but can be considered insulting to players who are described as such because the term implies a lack of comparable skill on other surfaces.
Some examples of prominent players who are frequently referred to as hard court specialists include: James Blake
, Robby Ginepri
, Joachim Johansson
, Marin Čilić
, Tommy Haas
, and Ivan Ljubičić
.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
player who excels on hard courts, but does not perform to the same standard on clay courts, grass courts, or other surfaces. The term is most frequently applied to professional players on the ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
or WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
tours rather than to average players. Many players from the United States are considered to be hard-court specialists due to the prevalence of hard courts there. They are thus accustomed to the unique skills the surface requires.
For example, a common feature of hard-court specialists is their ability to run extraordinarily quickly, a skill that is needed on this surface because the hard courts do not permit sliding to get to the ball as clay courts do. Many hard-court specialists are also very adept at hitting the ball hard and flat, without imparting too much spin on the ball, an especially effective shot on the surface because the ball tends to bounce much more quickly than on clay courts or most other surfaces, so it reduces the chances of the opponent getting a clean shot, or even any shot, on the ball.
The term "hard-court specialist" is not pejorative, but can be considered insulting to players who are described as such because the term implies a lack of comparable skill on other surfaces.
Some examples of prominent players who are frequently referred to as hard court specialists include: James Blake
James Blake
James Riley Blake is an American professional tennis player. Blake is known for his speed and powerful, flat forehand. As of August 2011, Blake is ranked no. 63 among active male players with 24 career finals appearances...
, Robby Ginepri
Robby Ginepri
Robert Louis Ginepri is an American professional tennis player.-Early life:Robby Ginepri is of Luxembourgish ancestry....
, Joachim Johansson
Joachim Johansson
Joachim Johansson is a former professional male tennis player from Sweden.-Background:Johansson was born in Lund and currently lives in Södertälje, Sweden. His father, Leif Johansson, was also a tennis player and represented Sweden in the Davis Cup in the 1970s. He goes by the nickname "Pim Pim",...
, Marin Čilić
Marin Cilic
Marin Čilić , is a Croatian professional tennis player. His career high ATP ranking is no. 9, achieved on 22 February 2010, following his best-ever performance at a Grand Slam, reaching the semi-finals in the 2010 Australian Open...
, Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas
Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no...
, and Ivan Ljubičić
Ivan Ljubicic
----Ivan Ljubičić is a Croatian tennis player born in Bosnia and Herzegovina . His career-high ATP ranking to date has been no. 3, and he stands at no. 37....
.