ATP: Courts 2017 slower again

The course speeds in the Master’s and Grand Slam tournaments are often the subject of controversy among tennis fans. The current data suggests that the courts are slowing down.

Roger Federer loves it fast, Rafael Nadal rather slowly. The preferred court speeds of the superstars are part of the basic knowledge for every confirmed tennis fan. But when the CPI – also known as the Court Pace Index – comes into play, not every observer of the scene knows what is meant.

Basically, the speed of a tennis court is influenced by several factors. Large altitudes and sweat-inducing temperatures are classic indicators for a fast surfacing. What’s more, the hall is usually closed more quickly than in the open, often windy sky. The weight of the balls also has a decisive influence on the speed of the course.

With the help of the Hawk Eye the dates for the season 2017 have been published. A distinction is made between fast (>45), medium-fast (40-44), medium (35-39), medium-slow (34-30) and slow places (<29).

It is noticeable that the CPI has lost weight in all tournaments of the 1000s. Only Monte Carlo was faster than 2016 this year. Montréal has no comparable figure, as the men stopped in Toronto last year.

In keeping with these preferences, Roger Federer won the title at the fastest Masters in Shanghai (42.9). Rafael Nadal also remained true to himself and won the season’s slowest “1000cc” – his home game in Madrid (20.9).

Remarkable: The Australian Open (42.0) is the fastest Grand Slam tournament of the year. Only after that follows the classic lawn in Wimbledon (37). The US Open (35.7) and the sand-court spectacle in Roland Garros (21) are behind it.