The Difference Between Hard Court Tennis And Clay Court Tennis
Q: Dear Tomaz, some time ago I bought your books and I really enjoy them.
I am writing to ask you some tips because I am getting really frustrated.
I recently moved from the US to Italy. Before moving I was playing the best tennis of my life.
I was able to battle playing against 5.0 guys.
My game is very aggressive from the baseline. Big forehand. Solid 1 handed backhand (mainly topspin).
Since I moved to Italy I have no choice but to play on red clay. And this transition from hard court to clay is killing me.
I lose with players I should take easily. But for some reason my tennis is going down the drain.
I think I need a plan to react but I am not yet able to clearly analyze my problems.
Tons of unforced errors.
I feel I cannot control the direction of the ball and so I cannot move my opponent around as I was used to.
I see my inside out going out by 2-3 meters! And this was one of my best weapons!
Aggressive down the line forehands go always wide. I am not sure if it’s the timing on the ball, the backswing or what else????
The depth of my shots is totally inconsistent.
Moreover I feel that I am often in the wrong position on the court.
And of course the frustration is getting my in the worst mental attitude because at every shot I am thinking “I hope I don’t miss this”.
What can you suggest me to do both mentally and technically?
In general I think my game is more suited for hard surfaces, but at least I want to be able to play a decent game.
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A: Yes, tennis is different on clay than on hard courts.
What frustrates you is what feels normal to a clay court player.
You think your shots are not fast enough and not effective enough – but that’s normal for clay court tennis. That’s how it is.
It’s not your poor game – it’s different tennis. It’s not based on pace rather on moving the opponent and looking to get a short ball.
There are very few winners in clay court tennis – especially at the club level. (even at 5.0)
You are probably forcing the game too much because you are looking for the same EFFECT your shots had on hard court. You hit a good shot and you SAW effect – your opponent was in trouble.
Now you hit the same “good shot” and there is NO EFFECT. Your opponent calmly returns the ball and keeps you in neutral position.
You’ve either consciously or subconsciously started to hit faster and more risky in order to achieve the same effect – and in the process you:
- started missing too much,
- probably broke down your technique somewhat and
- lost confidence in your shots.
This is my best guess of what happened. I may be wrong so please correct me if this is not so.
But if it is, then your first goal is to stop forcing the game. In fact, before you play again, find some good clay court players and WATCH them play.
How do they play differently than you? Note the differences.
Then accept the fact that on clay you are almost playing a different sport.
The equipment is the same, but the game is different. It’s physical, it’s tactical and it’s mental.
On hard courts it can be simply technical – just hitting a fast shot gives you an advantage. Not on clay though.
Compare the aggressive rallies in the final of the US Open 2010 against Djokovic and Nadal with the rallies in the second video at the end of this post…
Once you accept that this is now a different game and that you have to play it differently, I am sure you’ll learn quickly how to adapt.
If I try to simplify: on hard you’re looking to attack most of the time, on clay you’re looking to stay in the point and WAIT for the right opportunity to attack.
Defense is MUCH more effective on clay than on hard – that’s why it takes more time to really build a big advantage in the rally and finally attack.
Simply said: it’s MUCH harder tennis on clay than on hard – takes more work and more effort to win a point.
Keep in mind the rally below just to remind you of how clay court tennis is played. 
- Related posts:
July 23rd, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Hi Guido,
I am sorry to hear about your woes. I also had to play on clay for three summers. It was pain and suffering. The game is so different. Tomaz and I went back and forth about it so much that I ended up writing an article about it. Just stick with it! You can definitely attack on clay. In fact, Federer says it’s easier to attack on clay. But you have to attack differently. It does take more effort and you have to fight more. But when you come back to hard courts you will find it much easier. You’ll see angles that you never saw before and start to move people back and forth. This is the essence of high level tennis in which players are so good that they can hit shots back even when hit really hard. Feel free to contact me directly if you have any more questions (hernandez_ae@mac.com).
In terms of your shots going out, your timing will need to change a bit because the ball bounces differently. The surface also changes depending on conditions and its irregular. But these are things that you can work on. I cannot say that I have completely adapted but I have learned to be more patient on clay. But again these things will help you on any surface.
Arturo
Here is the link:
http://www.tennismindgame.com/clay-court.html
[Reply]
July 26th, 2011 at 12:29 am
Thank you Arturo.
I am eager to read your article.
Yes I am realizing that clay is totally different game.
And to go back to one of the first pages of Tomaz book, I think the trick is “acceptance”, which also means that you have to tell your ego to shut-up.
I think that playing aggressive on hard court feeds the ego with some kind of satisfaction. And that is where the big mistake is.
I think at the end learning to play on clay will also help me to shut my ego out of the court, and eventually as you said it will also help my game on hard court.
I went on the court yesterday with a totally different attitude.
I decided to stay patient and look for openings.
I played one set and won 6-2.
but the best part is that I really enjoyed clay for the first time.
Just one statistic that totally surprised me.
Recently I was having tons of problems holding serve.
Tons of double faults and errors on the third shot.
I guess this is the symptom of a wrong mental approach because double faults have nothing to do with clay.
So yesterday I gave up only 2 points on my serve in the entire set.
The ego came back a few times. I was up 0-40 once on my opponent serve and suddenly I went back to the wrong attitude of trying to throw him out of the court.
Needless to say he came back and held serve.
But at least now I can see what is happening.
I guess I am on the right track.
Thank you again Arturo, and thank you Tomaz.
I will keep you guys posted!
Ciao
Guido
[Reply]
July 26th, 2011 at 7:01 am
Arturo,
I read and enjoyed your article.
it’s unbelievable how many things in common.
Even the shoes. When I started to play on clay I was using my loved hard court CB 2.3. but on clay it was like running on ice!
Then just a couple of weeks ago I bought a pair of adidas feather (coincidence!) and felt super stable. I agree the best purchase ever.
I also like to play right on the baseline hitting everything on the rise, exactly like you describe. And have the very same frustration of seeing shots that usually (on hard court) put my opponent right on the defense, now being totally ineffective.
I already started to realize that moving back and forward is a must on clay.
I am gonna move more back like you suggested and I hope to see the same results you saw.
Thank you again for the excellent article.
Cheers,
G
[Reply]
Arturo Hernandez Reply:
July 27th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Guido,
The parallels are remarkable. When Tomaz sent your email, it brought all kinds of memories back. After playing on clay for a few summers I finally began to accept that the game was going to be much less neat and clean. It is really dirty, grimy and unpredictable. It is more like a street brawl or wrestling whereas hardcourts is like a tactical fight with quick jabs. I still get to play on clay every so often and am surprised how less difficult it is too adjust. But it took a lot of pain and suffering. One summer I lost 12 matches in a row. I just could not win a match for the life of me. I went through such a crisis that I decided to remodel my serve and groundstrokes. It’s been a long winding road but I have finally started to reap the benefits of these changes. I don’t think I would have seen that many deficiencies if I had not played on clay. It sounds like you are seeing rewards more quickly. Just hang in there! There are some dips and valleys but I am sure that if you play well on hardcourts you can adapt your game to clay. Enjoy Italy! I still think Italian wine and coffee are the best. I don’t get over to Europe as much as I would like these days.
Cheers,
Arturo
[Reply]
August 2nd, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Arturo and Tomaz,
I keep playing on clay and frustration comes back often.
I think I now understand better the key to play good tennis on clay, but still it is not easy to apply all the times. If my mind is still I usually perform better. If I get nervous all the good goes away.
I might decide to break Arturo’s record and go for 0-13
btw thank you again for all your precious suggestions.
I will report here now and then to keep you posted about my progress.
Ciao
G
[Reply]
Tomaz Reply:
August 3rd, 2011 at 8:58 am
Hey Guido,
Try this: instead of thinking “how am I going to make a point”, think: “How is he going to win 4 points in one game if I keep playing solid shots into the court without high risk”
In clay court tennis you need to look for satisfaction in how you PREVENTED someone from getting what he wants – while on hard courts your satisfaction comes from GETTING what you want. You need to change that now…
[Reply]
Guido Reply:
August 3rd, 2011 at 1:50 pm
I see what you are saying.
I’ll try to focus on this.
In the meantime today I played my first tournament on clay.
And it’s already over.
lost 7-6/6-0
I was FROZEN for most part of the first set.
I still managed to go up 5-4 serving for the set.
Served 3 double faults.
Too many things going through my mind.
Then played an ugly tie breaker. I felt I had a cast on my arm.
Second set I just wanted to be out of there.
Tomaz, I need to work with you as soon as you come back.
Ciao
G
[Reply]
Tomaz Reply:
August 4th, 2011 at 1:40 am
Clear your mind – no need to think anything. You just need to have a general strategy – like move opponent, or play to weaker side, etc.
The rest happens since you will react instinctively based on years of tennis you’ve already played. The key though is to trust the first idea that comes to mind…
Arturo Hernandez Reply:
August 6th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
I think I understand what Tomaz is talking about. Sometimes I feel that on hardcourts I play better if I just serve and volley and chip and charge. I also feel that way in doubles where there is a clear objective like get to the net. However, on clay courts you have more time. So your best option is to simply aggressively hit topspin until your opponent finally just gives up. That is why I compare it to wrestling or a brawl. Lots more spin and lots more patience. Hitting a clean winner takes a lot of patience and tactical back and forth. The ball is also slower and it bounces differently. So you have to adjust your swing a bit to come over the ball. This may also be making you feel uncertain since you need to swing a bit differently. I agree with Tomaz just play to hit every ball with complete certainty. If you miss, then do it again and do it again and again. This is the best way to allow yourself to learn what works or does not. Using your conscious mind for tennis is counterproductive. You can read my colleagues book Choke (Sian Beilock). She details a lot of different strategies for combating nerves. She also covers a good bit of science on the topic. But the bottom line is that when you become really good at something then thinking about it makes you perform worse. Recently, I have been working on Tomaz’s idea of going with my first idea and believe it or not it works. The hardest thing is listening to that first idea which you have developed over years of training. This is your unconscious mind or what scientists call procedural memory at work.
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