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Indian Wells is under way and this year's event might be a bit different because, after years of complains by players, by fans, by me Indian Wells if finally changing surfaces.
IW will replace a special version of Plexicushion with added, several grainy sand, with Laykold that potentially approximate sthe pace of the US Open courts, ast month’s Abu Dhabi Open and the Miami Open later this month.
Indian Wells has long been by far the slowest playing surface of any significant hard court tournament, and even slower than many clay courts, certainly than Madrid's.
This was apparently caused by a severe case of "Bad Science", the false belief that "desert air" or similarly "dry air" is thin, causing the ball to travel much faster. In fact, even Sir Isaac Newton kew 300 years ago that humid air is denser and slows falling objects more than dry air. Alternately, some in pro tennis said the "altitude' slowed the ball. Since Indian Wells is at about 70 feet above sea level that is apparently a psychological phenomenon caused by seeing mountains surrounding the area.
Regardless, science has finally won out against populism, in this one tiny area. Results: The courts should create more offense and skew the playing conditions away from the likes of Iga, and clay court players.
Carlos Alcaraz is going for his third consecutive title, while Coco and Sabalenka are among the favorites on the WTA side. World number one, Jannik Sinner, is of course out with WADA suspension. He'll return presumably in time for Rome and then the French.
IW will replace a special version of Plexicushion with added, several grainy sand, with Laykold that potentially approximate sthe pace of the US Open courts, ast month’s Abu Dhabi Open and the Miami Open later this month.
Indian Wells has long been by far the slowest playing surface of any significant hard court tournament, and even slower than many clay courts, certainly than Madrid's.
This was apparently caused by a severe case of "Bad Science", the false belief that "desert air" or similarly "dry air" is thin, causing the ball to travel much faster. In fact, even Sir Isaac Newton kew 300 years ago that humid air is denser and slows falling objects more than dry air. Alternately, some in pro tennis said the "altitude' slowed the ball. Since Indian Wells is at about 70 feet above sea level that is apparently a psychological phenomenon caused by seeing mountains surrounding the area.
Regardless, science has finally won out against populism, in this one tiny area. Results: The courts should create more offense and skew the playing conditions away from the likes of Iga, and clay court players.
Carlos Alcaraz is going for his third consecutive title, while Coco and Sabalenka are among the favorites on the WTA side. World number one, Jannik Sinner, is of course out with WADA suspension. He'll return presumably in time for Rome and then the French.
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