Kim Clijsters won the first grass-court match she’s played in a long-time, which is bound to be great news for all you Kimmy fans. Me, I can’t figure this chick out. In her comeback this winter and spring, she played like a house on fire. Then, just as people driven by impulses ranging from pure sentiment (Aw, she’s so sweet!) to deep tennis wisdom tip her to win the French Open, she bombs.
I used to think that she was just plain unlucky not to have won a major by the time she was whacked by a wrist injury after the Australian Open of 2004 (where she was the victim of a clearly bad call that may have cost her the title against compatriot Justine Henin-Hardenne), but now I’m not so sure. Maybe she’s just snakebit. Maybe she begins to exudes this weird “here’s my butt, please kick it” vibe when she gets to majors. I don’t know.
Clijsters is a robust woman who is as strong as an ox and as cheery as a barmaid in some Schwartzwald inn. She should be winning majors left and right. And I have a newsflash for those who think she’s out of her element on grass, with her western grip and big wind-ups. Playing style means nothing in the women’s game on grass. The two genders have vastly different surface-based issues on grass. For the men, the grass is so fast and low-bouncing that it gives the atomic servers a great edge. They can fire bullets, grease out a break here and there, win a tiebreaker and, bada-bing, upset!
For the women, though, the grass is an unpredictable equalizer, mainly because it helps the weaker servers but doesn’t give anyone a degree of serving advantage that can be called overwhelming. So grass may be the best surface for women’s tennis because it makes the playing field level without tilting it too far toward the power game. Just ask Conchita Martinez.
Kimmy should win on grass because she returns well, can apply hellacious pressure with the sheer force of her groundstrokes (especially on a fast surface), and moves surprisingly well for a young lady with serious muscle mass and a build like a Coke machine.