CHENNAI: One of the biggest changes tennis has undergone over the last 15 years is the homogenisation of surfaces. With the power game coming to the fore in the Pete Sampras era, the ITF and ATP decided to give fans their money’s worth and slow down the faster surfaces. Heavier balls and hybrid strings meant baseline rallies became the norm, while serve and volley was condemned to the gallows.
But change is inevitable for growth. Fans who once clamoured for rallies now want more variety. Even a remotely fast surface allows them to witness different patterns of play. Hence the relevance of Dubai or Cincinnati on the calendar. It piques everyone’s interest.
The ITF Futures event in Chennai isn’t in the same league, but even here, players are happy to note the speed of the court and lightness of balls. Those that are adventurous and willing to take chances have done well. Left-handers Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Prajnesh Gunneswaran employed such tactics in semifinal victories over Sidharth Rawat and Vinayak Sharma Kaza on Friday.
Jeevan, who won the doubles with N Vijay Sundar Prashanth later in the day, was serving and volleying whenever he stepped up to the line. Was he doing so to combat the humid conditions or just adding wrinkles to his already attractive game? “Conditions are quick and balls are light so it allows us to attack as much as possible. It is hot, so I was able to conserve energy by shortening the points. I like serve-volley and won most points doing so. I’ve enjoyed playing on these courts,” the 26-year-old says.
On the other hand, Prajnesh felt the courts were a touch too slick. The low bounce caused him considerable trouble because it messed with his rhythm. “I’m the first one to be happy about fast courts, but lack of proper bounce made it extremely hard to adjust. Shots were skidding through, so I’m surprised I got it done relatively straightforwardly,” Prajnesh adds.
The duo practise together in Germany and have each others’ strengths and weaknesses memorised. Their encounter last week went the distance. So, who will come out on top on Saturday? “I’d like it to be me,” Jeevan smirks. “We’ll see about that,” Prajnesh retorts.
Results: Singles (semifinals): P Gunneswaran bt VS Kaza (6) 6-2, 6-4; J Nedunchezhiyan (2) bt S Rawat 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3. Doubles (final): Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan/NVS Prashanth (1) bt M Kalovelonis (RUS)/T Khabibulin (KAZ) (4) 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.