Carlos Alcaraz following in famous footsteps with choice of clay court training base
The clay court season is about to move into top gear around Europe and Carlos Alcaraz picked a famous location to fine-tune his game ahead of next week’s Monte-Carlo Masters.
Alcaraz spent Wednesday at La Manga Club in Murcia, a location that has also welcomed Rafael Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Carlos Moya over the years, while it ha also been host to Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup matches.
It is a thriving holiday location for tennis lovers, with 28 courts hosting tennis academies for players of all levels each week during the sprint and summer seasons.
The lucky tourists who were holidaying at La Manga Club were given an extra treat on Wednesday, as Alcaraz was putting in some final hours on court next to the tourists and amateur tennis players as he counted down to clay court season that will climate with his defence of the French Open title at Roland Garros.
Tennis365 writer Kevin Palmer spent a few days with the coaching team at The Racquets Club, La Manga Club here is his verdict on why the red dirt is the toughest surface to master.
UNDERSTANDING CLAY COURTS
Unless you have grown up on clay courts, they are a big challenge to master.
Top spin shots spring off the uneven surface in unpredictable fashion, meaning you need to get used to hitting a lot of shots out of your comfort zone.
They also take some getting used to under your feel, with the moving clay tough for some novice players to grip on as they move around the court.
The key on clay is ensuring you give yourself time to get into position to hit shots and the coaching team at The Racquets Club persistently remind their clients of the need to ensure your starting position is well behind the baseline when you receive serve.
If you are used to playing on slow and low-bouncing carpet courts at your club, you may opt to stand closer to the baseline to ensure you get a good play on the ball, but that position would not give you enough time to react to the bounce of the ball on clay courts.
FINDING YOUR FEET
Finding your feet on a clay court is the key to success.
Make sure you have the right tennis shoes before you start playing on clay as all of the top brands offer trainers that will help you make the transition to the red dirt.
Clay court masters like Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz have mastered the art of sliding into their shots when they play on clay and while you may want to try that method, it is not as easy as the great of the game make it look.
Timing your slide is the key to success and that takes a lot of practice and you need to try and stop just before you strike the ball.
USE OF SLICE
A slice backhand is often viewed as a defensive shot, but the coaching team at The Racquets Club were keen to highlight how effective the shot can be on clay.
While your forehand and kick serve can take an opponent out of their comfort zone, a low and skidding backhand is also a great weapon to deploy on this surface.
Nadal has used this shot with great effect during his 14 wins at the French Open and it can rush an opponent is gets into a rhythm of hitting high shots on the high-bouncing clay courts.
LOOK OUT FOR
The lines on a clay court throw up bounces that are impossible to predict.
The vinyl strips that are nailed to the court to make the lines can fire a ball high or shoot it at your feet and this is especially challenging when the shot you are receiving hits the service line.
A deep shot onto the baseline can also be very challenging to control, and if you can move your opponent around the court and pick out a few lines with your shots, there is a good chance you will enjoy a lot of success on a clay court.
