Clay in French Open, grass in Wimbeldon and clay Again for Paris Olympics 2024; tennis players never had it so tough

The earth dirt at Roland Garros used for the French Open will host Paris Olympic 2024 matches starting on July 27 two weeks after Wimbledon wrapped up with singles titles for Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and the transition back to that site is more concerning to some athletes than others

In the Olympics, the competition turf doesn't change for most of the sports. But for tennis, it's a whole different story, with the tournaments held on the grass courts, now there will be a shift for the Paris Olympics 2024.

For the first time in 30 years, the tennis faceoffs at the Olympics will be held on red clay. The players who made adjustments from the dirt at the French Open to grass at Wimbledon will now need to reverse it again ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.

The earth dirt at Roland Garros used for the French Open will host Paris Olympic 2024 matches starting on July 27 two weeks after Wimbledon wrapped up with singles titles for Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and the transition back to that site is more concerning to some athletes than others.

"That'll definitely be interesting. But everyone's kind of doing it. We'll all be in the same boat", said Jessica Pegula, an American ranked in the top 10 who is expected to play singles, women's doubles with U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff and perhaps mixed doubles, too. 

"I usually don't struggle too much with switching. And I like how the courts play there. It might be easier than some other places we play on clay. When the weather is warm in Paris, it plays pretty true. There's a good speed. There's not a lot to get used to. For her, maybe."

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"It's going to be the first time for me, going from grass to clay," said Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, the 2022 Wimbledon champion and a semifinalist there this month.

"It's not easy. Physically, it's not easy, (or) mentally. One additional factor on some players' minds: There will be another brief turnaround after the Olympics to prepare for the move to the hard courts ahead of the U.S. Open, which starts in late August. That's less than a month after the medals are awarded in France."

"It's awful for the schedule", said Taylor Fritz, Pegula's teammate for the United States and someone who just reached the quarterfinals at the All England Club. "It makes absolutely no sense. It screws everything up, for sure."

Tennis altogether becomes a different sport depending on the conditions and turf it is being played.

"You have to adapt to it. ... It's going to be weird, obviously, going back on the clay quickly", said Cam Norrie, who will represent Britain at the Olympics. "But we're changing surface and changing variables all the time. Clay is softer and slower, which can dull the power on serves and groundstrokes and create longer exchanges, putting a premium on stamina, while the grittiness can magnify the effect of heavy topspin. Grass is speedier and balls bounce lower. Hard courts tend to produce truer, midrange bounces and generally will reward those who go for point-ending shots."

The difference between clay and grass courts might be the footwork. The clay requires sliding and grass is more about small steps to avoid slipping. Hard courts generally do not cause as many falls as either of the others.

The one who has played on clay the adjustments are not that hard for them, feels 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang. "For (people) that have grown up playing on the surface, you just know the surface so well. So someone like Iga Swiatek, who has won four of the past five French Opens, should feel comfortable and confident on clay, by far her best surface."

"The same goes, of course, for Rafael Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic has won at least three Grand Slam titles at each of the sport's biggest events, the only man to do so, and the adjustments required come rather naturally to him."

"Then again, Alcaraz, whose title at Roland Garros this year made him, at 21, the youngest man to win a major trophy on clay, hard and grass courts, had this to say about going from London to Paris: It's not easy to change surfaces in just a week."

(With AP Inputs)

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