Lawn Tennis
“
Despite the fact that they are very good at their sport and make a lot of money out of it, if you actually talk to them they are generally very quiet and humble
because I had worked closely with Eddie on all our projects, like fraise mowing the courts, growth regulator programmes, etc., I think they were rather surprised at just how much I knew and that I was, in fact, doing much more than my title suggested. I’m grateful for that, because I believe I got the job on merit.
And, of course, working on the Olympics; two major sporting events in one year! It was a huge challenge for us. It took four years to fine tune just how we were going to cope with them being so close together. I felt really proud for our industry that we managed to pull it off. You don’t get quality sport without quality surfaces.
I do quite a lot of media work, and I am glad I do, because it gives me the opportunity to talk about our surfaces and our industry; to explain just what goes into the preparation; that the players don’t just rock up and play on something we have simply cut a few days before which had been laying fallow for most of the year! It’s healthy, because they then gain an appreciation of the work involved.
I got offered the job in 2011, and it would have been very difficult for someone to come in here, not having experienced the Championships, regardless of how talented a groundsman they were. The club has always had a policy that, when you start as Head Groundsman Designate, you shadow the outgoing Head Groundsman for a year and, the following year, he shadows you. The fact that I had worked with Eddie for so many years did make that process easier though.
As keeper of the world's most iconic tennis venue, what additional pressures are put on your work by being in the media spotlight?
I think expectations. Every year that we produce fantastic surfaces we are expected
70 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014
to improve on them the next year. Now, that’s no bad thing as it means we never get complacent. Even this year, during the Championships, we were identifying areas that we think we can improve on. Now, whether a player or the outside world would notice that, I’m not so sure, but in our minds, we know where we can improve.
And then there’s the pressure of one billion people watching the tournament worldwide and judging your surfaces. You can’t fail. The Championship has to start and finish. That’s the bottom line.
Are there any developments planned and how might they affect you?
Plenty over the next few years; the roof on No 1 court, the relocation of some courts, making public flow much better, the development and relocation of our indoor centre, all the hard court and play courts are being relocated. All designed to allow us to move some of the grass courts to make the spectator and player experience better.
What relationship do you have with the players?
Very good. Tennis players are very down to earth people. Despite the fact that they are very good at their sport and make a lot of money out of it, if you actually talk to them they are generally very quiet and humble. We have a very good relationship with them. In the practice week running up to the tournament we are always asking them for feedback, whether that be good or bad, how they feel the courts are playing and so on. Then we digest what has been said and see if there is any merit in their comments. Sometimes, it might simply be personal perceptions or that grass doesn’t suit that player’s style of play, but we have to take it all on board.
Does footwear have an effect on the courts?
That comes under the ITF (International Tennis Federation) and is stringently checked before the Championships. Styles of play is the issue. Some of the players are bringing their clay court game to the grass court season. Someone like Novak Djokovic can slide into shots and recover, whereas some other players might become off balance.
Which is why, in the last couple of years, the media has called the surface into question but, if you look at the players that were actually slipping, it was the style of their footwork that was the issue, not the surface. So, that is one area we will have to look at. How can we adapt to better suit the modern day tennis player and how might they adapt to the modern day grass court? It’s a relationship between the two.
Is there one player that has made an impact on you?
Roger Federer. He is the most gracious, perfect tennis player I have seen play here. His footwork is a fine example of what we were talking about. Even in the final, his footwork was perfect for grass; he has such good balance and grace, whereas Novak continued to play more in the clay court style. As he won, I doubt he cares though!
I was surprised it went to five sets, to be honest, as Roger had a reasonably comfortable run through the draw, whereas Novak had a few four set matches, so I was expecting Federer to win. But it was great to be part of a final that everyone will be talking about for some time yet.
Without blowing our own trumpet, the tennis court had a part to play in that. Whilst there was wear behind the baseline, the actual playing surface was 95% grass. There
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