* !Olyby Pete Bodo*
I don't care what anyone says—going back to Wimbledon in a few days' time to prepare for and play the tennis event of the London Olympic Games is going to be a weird experience for the players most familiar with that venue. I can just see Andy Roddick and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga meeting up in a hallway at the club, one of them cracking a screwy smile, the other producing a shrug, and shaking his head in disbelief.
This will have to be more than a little surreal, and that could add to the unpredictable nature of this most unstable of tennis events. The sensation will be heightened by all the ways in which these Olympic Games will be different from your typical Wimbledon tournament. The fact that the all-white rule will not be in force is just the beginning.
When we last left Wimbledon, it seemed like there was more hard-packed dirt on Centre Court than grass, and that was certainly true of the most vital area of the court, the baseline. Like others, I had my doubts when I first learned that the courts used for the Olympic event will be re-seeded with pre-germinated grass seed, intended produce the usual, lush and dense Wimbledon grass in just three weeks' time. But the club has experimented for two years with pre-germinated grass seed with excellent results, so there's no reason to assume the court will not be up to snuff.
Remember, Wimbledon isn't like all those U.S. football stadia, where they just roll down new grass when they need to rehabilitate the field quickly. That often leads to huge, tile-like sheets of sod flying up when the spikes start churning. The courts at Wimbledon are actually being re-seeded and the grass re-grown, albeit on a compressed, labor-intensive timetable.
Tournament matches will be played on 12 Wimbledon courts, most of them show courts to meet the needs of televisio. These include Centre, No. 1, and No. 2 Courts (all stadium courts). But No. 3, also a stadium, will be reserved for practice, as will six field courts. The Aorangi Park courts, where a lot of the practice during Wimbledon takes place, won't be used at all.
The most striking difference for a spectator at the Olympics will be the signage that will transform the "cathedral of tennis" into a considerably more vulgar arena where all the Olympian commercial partners and the International Olympic Committee itself will be honored. This will undoubtedly mess with the heads of the players as well, if not even moreso.
As Andy Roddick said during Wimbledon, "I think there's going to be heaps of advertising everywhere. It's going to be a lot different. They're not going to have the standard colors on the court. Most of the time you come here, they have their traditions and it's what makes Wimbledon Wimbledon. I don't know what the feeling is going to be when you come here and that's not the case."
Some of the other significant differences are:
—The Olympic event will be 9 days, not the typical Wimbledon "fortnight" of 13 days
—The grand total of players is 172 (86 men and 86 women) with singles draws of 64 (the rest are doubles-only players), one round less than the 128-player draws of Wimbledon.
—In the mixed doubles event (keep in mind that the Olympic gold medal in that is the same color as the one in singles or doubles), the supertiebreaker (first to 10 points) will be used to settle the match when two teams split sets.
—"Olympic regulations" regarding uniform color and style will replace Wimbledon's predominantly white rule.
But the biggest difference of all pertains only to the men: Their matches will be best-of-three sets all the way to the final, which will be best-of-five. During Wimbledon, the men play best-of-five from the get-go. This significant departure is almost sure to produce unexpected results and shocking upsets, because the longer a match, the more likely the favorite is to win.
When coupled with court speed, the three-set format creates a potential killing field of seeds and favorites. Players who serve big and are willing to attack could really flourish. In a best-of-three on grass, it's possible to overwhelm an opponent and keep him from getting enough traction to get into a match if he surrenders an early break or lead. Slow starters will be endangered, as will anyone facing a player with a booming serve. However, the weather is likely to be hotter and drier during the games than during Wimbledon, and that will favor the baseliners and more consistent players in every way but at the service notch.
But for all these differences, some things about the Olympic tennis event will seem familiar to old Wimbledon hands. For one thing, the officials will be recruited from the familiar ITF pool (which is a good thing). The indispensible, competent grounds crew that works Wimbledon will also work the Games (nobody is expecting nine bone-dry days in London). And players, media, and spectators will be serviced by the same catering staff that took care of them at Wimbledon.
I have a funny feeling there will plenty of strawberries and cream available, along with Pimm's and, of course, the classic "English breakfast" consisting of toast, a fried egg, a ladle of baked beans, a strip of juicy, thick British bacon and a single sausage link.
Some traditions you don't monkey with.
(Photo courtesy of ITFTennis.com)