[Canucks]

Bianca is back

She’s SO back.

 

[Kamaotori]

Osaka got a good draw but she's not beating Swiatek on this mud slow court. No one is a threat to her in this tournament except maybe Gauff if she shows up with a new serve that works.

It also depends on Iga's serve. In the match against Alexandrova it was failing her a lot and she had to grind those points.

 

[GIANT_SLAYER]

 

[Dropshotova]

I can't see anything other than a Swiatek-Gauff final on these mud slow courts. Have these Asian courts even been resurfaced since they were built, Beijing since 2008, and Seoul since 1988? Why are they all so slow?

 

[palttoonnappi]

I hope Bibi still floats. It's been a while.

...

Andreescu is a witch?

 

[Aaron.]

I can't see anything other than a Swiatek-Gauff final on these mud slow courts. Have these Asian courts even been resurfaced since they were built, Beijing since 2008, and Seoul since 1988? Why are they all so slow?

Hard courts that haven't been resurfaced in a while actually get faster over time. It's generally newly resurfaced courts that tend to be slower.

 

[Miracle Worker]

Iga is a safe bet.

 

[njnetswill]

Osaka, Raducanu, Andreescu, Muchova, Anisimova, and Krejickova all in the main draw at the same time

WTA is healing.

 

[StephenUK]

Eala not playing? I hope the Wta budgeted for this . I would've thought she'd play as much of the Asian swing as possible?

I think this is one of the most balanced draws we've had all season.

Nice of them to make Maria and Bouzkova play each other

She's participating in some 125 in China from tomorrow

 

[Dropshotova]

Hard courts that haven't been resurfaced in a while actually get faster over time. It's generally newly resurfaced courts that tend to be slower.

Thought that made no sense so I asked ChatGPT, here's the answer:

Tennis courts typically get slower over time if they haven't been resurfaced in a long time. Here's why:

1. Surface Wear: As the court surface ages, it can become rougher and more textured due to constant use. This roughness increases friction between the ball and the court, slowing down the ball’s speed.
2. Cracks and Damage: If the surface has cracks, it can lead to unevenness. Balls might bounce unpredictably or lose speed due to the irregularity of the surface. For hard courts, this also means less consistent bounce, which affects the speed of play.
3. Debris and Dirt: Older courts are more likely to accumulate dirt, leaves, and other debris, which can also contribute to a slower surface because they make the court more abrasive and less smooth.
4. Reduced Grip and Cushioning: The surface may lose some of its initial grip and cushioning as it wears down. While this could make it feel slower in terms of movement and reaction speed, it also makes the court less forgiving, which might make the ball appear to slow down.

Contrast with Newer Resurfaced Courts:

• After resurfacing, the surface is typically smoother and more uniform, which means less friction. A smoother surface tends to allow the ball to travel faster and gives players more predictable bounces, increasing overall speed.

 

[GIANT_SLAYER]

Mmm…I wonder if this could ever apply to women's tennis as well in due time?

 

[Aaron.]

Thought that made no sense so I asked ChatGPT, here's the answer:

Tennis courts typically get slower over time if they haven't been resurfaced in a long time. Here's why:

1. Surface Wear: As the court surface ages, it can become rougher and more textured due to constant use. This roughness increases friction between the ball and the court, slowing down the ball’s speed.
2. Cracks and Damage: If the surface has cracks, it can lead to unevenness. Balls might bounce unpredictably or lose speed due to the irregularity of the surface. For hard courts, this also means less consistent bounce, which affects the speed of play.
3. Debris and Dirt: Older courts are more likely to accumulate dirt, leaves, and other debris, which can also contribute to a slower surface because they make the court more abrasive and less smooth.
4. Reduced Grip and Cushioning: The surface may lose some of its initial grip and cushioning as it wears down. While this could make it feel slower in terms of movement and reaction speed, it also makes the court less forgiving, which might make the ball appear to slow down.

Contrast with Newer Resurfaced Courts:

• After resurfacing, the surface is typically smoother and more uniform, which means less friction. A smoother surface tends to allow the ball to travel faster and gives players more predictable bounces, increasing overall speed.

I suggest you expand your thinking outside of chatGPT and talk to real tennis players, coaches and drawing from your own personal playing experience. There's theory and there's real life.

 

[Lobvolley]

I suggest you expand your thinking outside of chatGPT and talk to real tennis players, coaches and drawing from your own personal playing experience. There's theory and there's real life.

My goodness, this. I thought people understand that ChatGPT is garbage in and garbage out?

 

[Drake1980]

So are the courts slow then or?

 

[Pigeon Coop]

Mmm…I wonder if this could ever apply to women's tennis as well in due time?

Surfaces have slowed down over time, but it wasn't in response to Sinner and Alcaraz, their rivalry only became a big deal this year. and I'd imagine the slowdown affects the WTA too because almost all of the big WTA events are combined

 

[Dropshotova]

I suggest you expand your thinking outside of chatGPT and talk to real tennis players, coaches and drawing from your own personal playing experience. There's theory and there's real life.

Well what do you know, Perplexity gives me a different answer:

Older hard courts that have not been resurfaced in a while tend to play faster rather than slower. This is because the acrylic surface layers wear down over time, losing their textured components such as sand, which normally increases friction and slows down the ball. As the surface smooths out and cracks may develop, there is less energy absorption and friction during play, resulting in a faster bounce and quicker ball movement. Essentially, maintenance like resurfacing replenishes the acrylic coating and sand to maintain a more controlled and slower pace.

Therefore, without resurfacing, the court surface becomes smoother and harder, making the ball bounce higher and faster than when freshly resurfaced with a rougher texture.

Looks like Perplexity and ChatGPT need to get in a room and settle this.

 

[Sharky]

On the other hand @Hanan Ubis
mboko - will she shine again or will she flop (not denying she has genuine talent and was insanely consistent for most of the year, but yeah let’s see .

she will not shine again… she still has her wrist wrapped last week (in her Instagram reel) preparing for this tournament.

 

[Dropshotova]

Well what do you know, Perplexity gives me a different answer:

Older hard courts that have not been resurfaced in a while tend to play faster rather than slower. This is because the acrylic surface layers wear down over time, losing their textured components such as sand, which normally increases friction and slows down the ball. As the surface smooths out and cracks may develop, there is less energy absorption and friction during play, resulting in a faster bounce and quicker ball movement. Essentially, maintenance like resurfacing replenishes the acrylic coating and sand to maintain a more controlled and slower pace.

Therefore, without resurfacing, the court surface becomes smoother and harder, making the ball bounce higher and faster than when freshly resurfaced with a rougher texture.

Looks like Perplexity and ChatGPT need to get in a room and settle this.

This is hilarious, different AI models gave me different answers, all sound equally convincing, I guess we know which model feeds their answer off which model:

Perplexity, Gemini, Grok: faster

ChatGPT, Copilot, DeepSeek: slower

Grok tries to reconcile the two somewhat:

"However, the exact speed can vary depending on factors like the court's original design, the type of hard court (e.g., acrylic, cushioned, or fast/slow variants), and environmental conditions like dust or debris accumulation, which might slightly slow play. Regular resurfacing (every 4-7 years) helps maintain intended playing characteristics."

My own experience based on playing in my neighborhood courts is that they play slower.

I think many newly resurfaced courts these days are playing slower because organizers make them that way by mixing in ever more sand. They keep making the courts slower and slower to prevent servebotting, extend the rallies, and to make sure Alcaraz can get to the final to play Sinner as Federer pointed out on Roddick's podcast. Also maybe more sand = cheaper?

 

[Zula]

Tauson Mboko 3rd round, will be a good test for Mboko.

 

[Aaron.]

Well what do you know, Perplexity gives me a different answer:

Older hard courts that have not been resurfaced in a while tend to play faster rather than slower. This is because the acrylic surface layers wear down over time, losing their textured components such as sand, which normally increases friction and slows down the ball. As the surface smooths out and cracks may develop, there is less energy absorption and friction during play, resulting in a faster bounce and quicker ball movement. Essentially, maintenance like resurfacing replenishes the acrylic coating and sand to maintain a more controlled and slower pace.

Therefore, without resurfacing, the court surface becomes smoother and harder, making the ball bounce higher and faster than when freshly resurfaced with a rougher texture.

Looks like Perplexity and ChatGPT need to get in a room and settle this.

This is how I understand it and have experienced it. When a court hasn't been resurfaced there's barely any grit in the court the ball just skids. It's very annoying to play on actually. If a court is going to be fast I would prefer it to be a lower bounce.