Summer Sports - Tennis
Centre Court action from the 2013 Aegon International
“ 76 I PC JUNE/JULY 2014
Last year, for the first time, we had a problem with Pearlwort. Not sure where it originated, but it might have come in via birds or footwear
precedent over club matters. The club effectively closes down from the end of May until a week after the Aegon is concluded, and the club’s 120 or so members can watch, but not play, during this period. Roy says he and his team have developed
a really good relationship with LTA Tournament Director Gavin Fletcher. They all work well together to get the best possible playing conditions. There’s always been good rapport with Wimbledon too and a regular two-way exchange of experience and advice over the years with Eddie Seaward and now Neil Stubley. With tongue in cheek he reminds me that the All England Club is “on a different planet” when it comes to financial resources.
Tennis, and grass tennis in particular, is
experiencing a big uplift since Andy Murray’s win at Wimbledon, Roy has noticed. He likens it to England winning the World Cup in Football. “It’s been a real shot in the arm,” he says. “Certainly, everyone here at Devonshire Park feels it. It was the kind of breakthrough that grass tennis had been waiting for.” Roy is fairly relaxed pre-Aegon. He doesn’t
Remnants of Pearlwort on Centre Court
mind television cameras eyeing what he’s done. He says he’s got used to it. This year, the BBC has it back on its schedule with BT Sport also there covering it as a Women’s Tennis Association event. During the week itself, Devonshire Park’s team of four get support from a fifteen-strong maintenance
crew to keep on top of the daily routines. Preparation and maintenance procedures
for the week have got better and better year-by-year, says Roy. The way you prepare for a big tournament like the Aegon evolves, he reckons. Did we get that right? Can we do it better? He is very analytical and always welcomes constructive criticism. The bottom line, for him, is always to see that everyone - players, spectators, sponsors, and the LTA - are happy. He believes that, after twenty years, he’s got it about right. Playing surfaces at Devonshire Park are as good as anywhere in the world, including Wimbledon, and that’s an acknowledged fact in tennis circles. Last winter’s unusually high rainfall, but
mild temperatures, did affect things at Devonshire Park. Whilst never actually waterlogged, some court areas were very, very wet for long periods into March. In places, grass growth from autumn re-seeding was pretty thin and Roy says he had to help things along with a little extra feeding. “We lost a lot of our seed because of the
heavy rain, but didn’t have to resort to further re-seeding,” he says. “Warmer conditions since Easter and into May have helped to thicken up these sparser areas.” “Preparations for Aegon have actually
been as good as ever this year, and we look forward to the courts playing well.” I ask Roy what he thinks are the significant
advances in turfcare, as far as grass court tennis is concerned. The emergence of dwarf
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