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Craig Tiley, dyrektor Australian Open, stwierdził, że szybkość kortów, na których będą rywalizować tenisiści w nadchodzącej edycji turnieju w Melbourne, będzie identyczna, jak w zeszłym roku.

W ubiegłym roku organizatorzy Australian Open postanowili zerwać z trendem zwalniania nawierzchni i przygotowali korty szybsze niż w poprzednich edycjach. To okazało się znakomitą decyzją. Australian Open 2017 był jednym z najciekawszych turniejem ostatnich lat. Przyniósł wiele emocji i dużo frapujących spotkań. Zwycięzcą został Roger Federer, który w finale po pięciosetowej batalii pokonał Rafaela Nadala. - To było zabawne, bo tenisiści mówili: "Oh, jakie te korty są szybkie", a potem w finale mieliśmy specjalistę od gry na nawierzchni ziemnej - wspominał Craig Tiley w rozmowie z Australijską Agencją Prasową.


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Dyrektor turnieju wyjawił, że szybkość kortów przygotowanych na tegoroczną edycję Australian Open będzie taka sama, jak w ubiegłym roku. - Od dawna jestem w tym sporcie i wiem, że pierwszą rzeczą, na którą tenisiści oraz trenerzy zwracają uwagę, jest szybkość nawierzchni. W ubiegłym roku większość tenisistów polubiła naszą nawierzchnię, dlatego w tym roku zrobiliśmy dokładnie to samo.

- Mamy 51 kortów i prawie niemożliwe jest, by na każdym nawierzchnia była tak samo szybka. Fakt, że niektóre korty są bardziej wystawione na słońce, jest jednym z ważnych czynników w bardzo specyficznym procesie tworzenia nawierzchni. Jest tylko kilka osób, które wiedzą, jak to się robi. Wpływ na szybkość kortu ma nawet to, w jaki sposób i pod jakim kątem kładzie się nim nawierzchnię - wyjaśniał.

- Szybkość kortu zachęca do tego, by grać tenis różnorodny. Ale najlepsi tenisiści, bez względu na nawierzchnię, znajdą sposób, by dotrzeć do celu - dodał Tiley.

Australian Open 2018 zostanie rozegrany w dniach 15-28 stycznia na kortach twardych w Melbourne.

Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley expects this year's Melbourne Park courts to be virtually identical in pace to last year.

Updated Updated 2 days ago
Australian Open organisers have forecast a repeat of the court conditions that helped Roger Federer on his way to a fifth Melbourne Park crown.

Open boss Craig Tiley last year rejected locker-room claims organisers "sped up the courts for Roger" amid talk of perceived inconsistencies.

But speaking after his quarter-final victory last year over Mischa Zverev, Federer said there was "no doubt" the conditions had played in his favour as he marched towards an 18th grand slam triumph.

Serve-and-volley specialist Zverev's deep run, which included a stunning fourth-round defeat of then-world No.1 Andy Murray, was seen as further proof some courts may have had a little extra zip to them.

The courts at Melbourne Park are resurfaced towards the end of each year and generally take a few weeks to reach their top speed once the acrylic has been applied.

This makes the timing of the process particularly important.

Tiley last year admitted the show courts, which were resurfaced slightly earlier than the others, had been as fast at the start of 2017 as they were at the end of the 2016 tournament.

But he says there has been no change to the annual resurfacing process and players should expect the courts to be the same "medium-fast" pace of last year.

Tiley also believes the pace on offer at Melbourne Park enhances the overall spectacle by catering to a variety of playing styles.

"The speed encourages that," Tiley told AAP.

"It's funny, because players say 'Oh, the court is fast' ... and then we had a clay-court player (Rafael Nadal) and a fast-court player in the final.

"The best players, no matter what the surfaces, figure out a way to get to the end."

The fact only some courts are exposed to the sun is another variable in the long and "very specific" resurfacing process.

"There's only a few people that know the technique because even the way you put the surface on and the angle at which you do the brush makes a difference," Tiley said.

Officials tested court speeds daily throughout last year's tournament and found that they had remained within the expected range.

But Tiley wasn't surprised the issue became a locker-room talking point.

"We've 51 courts to do ... it's almost impossible to get the exact same speed on every court," he said.

"I've been around the game a long time, and the first thing a player or a coach ever remarks upon is the speed of the court.

"I'll walk down on the first day that Roger's hitting or Rafa's hitting and I'll look them in the eye and know exactly what they're going to tell me.

"We've done it exactly the same as last year, and (most players) liked the surface last year."

ROGER Federer and Maria Sharapova will feature as the star acts in a televised Australian Open draw on Thursday night.

To be staged in Margaret Court Arena, the draw is open to the public - in return for a gold coin donation.

Traditionally held on Friday morning, the revamped draw ceremony is part of a broadening schedule of events ahead of next week’s Open.

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Tournament director Craig Tiley said the new look draw was part of a deliberate build of events around the Open.

Defending champion Federer will be joined by Sharapova and a panel of experts, including Todd Woodbridge, to analyse the draw.

“We’re going to give it a go,” Tiley said, referring to the draw.


Roger Federer won last year’s Australian Open men’s title.
“We’re gonna to have Tie Break Tens on Wednesday night, the draw on Thursday night and there’s another event we’re going to announce for Friday pretty soon.

“We’ve got the FightMND concert on Sunday and the Kids Tennis Day on Saturday.

“We just keep building around the Australian Open.

“We’re going to have a magnificent lead-in to what should be a fantastic event.”

Sharapova missed last year’s Open as part of a ban after testing positive to banned Meldonium.

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The draw is scheduled to start at 7pm, with doors opening to the 7500-seat stadium at 6.15pm.

Money raised from the function will go to the Australian Tennis Foundation, whose mission statement focuses on “targeted groups who may not have the same opportunities as others.”

“These groups include Indigenous Australians, people with a physical or mental disability, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, underprivileged children, new arrivals and people from multicultural backgrounds, people from remote and regional areas, talented players, coaches and officials, or others who have limited opportunities.”


Maria Sharapova hasn’t played at the Australian Open since testing positive to Meldonium in 2015. Picture: Getty


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TA is staging a FightMND concert, featuring Jimmy Barnes, on Sunday.

“This is a cause close to the hearts of many of us in the tennis and sporting community, and as such is an extremely important partnership for Tennis Australia,”Tiley said.

“MND has taken the lives of some of the great people involved in our sport, notably Brad Drewett, Angie Cunningham, and most recently Peter Doohan.

“All of us in tennis have the desire to support FightMND in their mission to find a cure and support those suffering the disease.”

Former footballer Neale Daniher, who is stricken with the incurable disease, is patron of FightMND.