By IANS
Melbourne : Russian tennis player Marat Safin questioned the blue colour of the Plexicushion courts on which the Australian Open will be played for the first time.
“I played for 10 years here in Australia, (the court) was green, now it’s all of a sudden blue. And it’s really, like, too bright and I think they should maybe mix up some colours,” Saif was quoted as saying by The Age.
Safin went on add that it was “only my opinion” and he was “not complaining”, but it made for an interesting twist on the perennial debate about the court speed at the tournament he won in 2005, which led to long-time provider Rebound Ace losing the contract in favour of Plexicushion for this year’s event.
“Australia was always green, but the green colour (is) no more. Even the sides in Australian Open are still green and the rest is blue, so it’s pretty funny. It’s not as cool. Of course, we are going to get used to it, but just … why blue?” he said.
Tennis Australia undertook extensive visibility testing on the Plexicushion courts before opting for a two-tone blue, which is darker on the court surface. Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said in May that Plexicushion had a lower rubber content than the Rebound Ace, was firmer under foot and retained less heat through its thinner top layer.
Several players who contested Wednesday at Kooyong on the Plexicushion courts said it was difficult to judge how the new courts played, due to a swirling wind that restricted the length of rallies.
But, as ever, the debate polarised. Andy Roddick, a veteran of six Australian Opens, thought it “a little grittier” than its predecessor, and its bounce equally as high. Scot Andy Murray, who lost to Safin, said it differed from the version he had practised on Wednesday morning at Melbourne Park, which seemed to be bouncing quite high yet was “a pretty fair court, I think”.
Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, said Rebound Ace “jumps a bit higher and it’s a bit faster”, but it was up to the players to adapt. “That’s our job, we have to accept it and adapt to it,” he said.