“Andy Murray probably chooses grass because of “this” reason,” says Elite fitness trainer
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Andy Murray
Andy Murray is a fighter. Once ranked No.1 in the World, the winner of three Grand Slam titles, has seen injuries ravage his career. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist has undergone two surgeries to his hips in the last three years all in the hope of getting back on the court with full fitness. But returning to the court has not been easy for the former British No.1. He has had to endure countless painful nights and unfortunately luck too has eluded him in the meanwhile.
At the start of the year when he was scheduled to start his season by travelling to Australia and taking part in the Australian Open, he contracted COVID-19 and his plans were all up in the air. What he managed to do was take that time to play challenger tournaments, as his ranking too had plummeted. He used the Wild Card to play a few tournaments, but couldn’t win many matches. Post trying his luck in doubles at the Italian Open he announced that he will be skipping French Open and will return on tour only at Wimbledon.
Andy Murray prefers Grass says Laurent Laffite
Elite fitness trainer Laurent Laffite, who has trained tennis stars like Garbine Muguruza, believes that Andy Murray chooses grass because it’s easier to deal with physically. There are more chances of slips but the shocks are much less compared to clay. He added that Murray will not have any advantage because of this though, as players coming from clay will adjust quickly. The trainer then goes on to explain why clay court players are doing well on grass and vice versa is not happening.
Laurent Laffite said, “Andy Murray probably chooses grass right now because it’s easier to deal with physically. It’s a dangerous surface but the shocks are less rough. Sure, he’s going to be able to hit on the grass a bit earlier than the others but it won’t be a massive advantage because nowadays players adjust so quickly.”
He added, “ Many clay court players did very well on grass but the opposite is not true, you know. It’s a big proof that clay demands very complete players and that playing on clay doesn’t hamper the grass swing at all. There’s everything to gain in playing on clay. “
He concluded, “The only issue would be the mental fatigue – not the physical one because they have enough time to recover. Physically speaking, really I see only advantages.”
Florian Zitzelsberger analyzes the games of Andy Murray and Petra Kvitova
Florian Zitzelsberger is Petra Kvitova’s physiotherapist and also a partner at a clinic in Regensburg Germany, where many other professional tennis players come. He has said that clay is harmful for Andy Murray because of the long rallies and because of the fact that he has to constantly go into the corners to retrieve the balls. Zitzelsberger thinks that this overexertion is not good for the hips. On grass it’s more about one-shot tennis, he believes.
Florian Zitzelsberger said, “When Andy goes on clay, he has to go in the corners, change directions very often through long rallies. On the grass, his hips have to work as well, but they won’t go through the same tension and overuse as on clay. On clay, you need much more endurance because the rallies are much longer.”
He continues, “ You’re training to slide and it has a totally different impact on the body, especially for the hips. On the grass courts, it’s much more about creating the one-shot tennis, about hitting power, about explosivity, and also about staying low because the bounce is lower.”
Citing the example of Petra Kvitova he said that when Kvitova comes to clay courts from hardcourts, she has to try much harder, and put a lot more effort. But then when she goes to grass courts from clay courts she is ready for everything. Kvitova will next be seen in the French Open 2021.
Florian Zitzelsberger said, “ With someone like Petra Kvitova who is such a big hitter, when she comes from hard court to clay, she suddenly has to work more for every shot and take less risk or she’s going to miss too much.”
He continued, “ So she goes back to keeping the ball in the court and then when she goes from clay to grass, she’s ready for everything. And she also had to go through tough matches and so we don’t see any issues of endurance or breathing anymore.”
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Auri Ghosh
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