The answer is the training and foundation that clay-court tennis provides. That, at least, is what the United States Tennis Association seems to think; as Tom Perrotta reported several months ago in The Wall Street Journal, the group has recently been pushing clay court training. The rationale has to do with the different types of skills that players develop when they learn to play on clay courts instead of hard courts. In the United States, where juniors learn mostly on hard courts, the emphasis is on power. Coaches tend to stress hitting hard on serves and ground strokes and pasting the lines. The idea is to get the point over quickly. Hit deep, hit a good angle, hit down the line, get a short ball, boom. By the time you reach the 16s (the 16-and-under division of the USTA) the ball is moving much faster than the kids, and the players who really blast it are most revered. Juniors who are more patient, more defensive, and focus on constructing points are derided as “pushers.”

On clay the orientation is very different. Coaches stress technique and fundamentals, beginning with legs and footwork. After all, you do get bad bounces and you may have to stay out on the court for a long time. The key is to have your feet in almost perpetual motion and to slide into the ball. Legs have to be both strong and agile. Clay court coaches also encourage young players to develop a variety of shots (slices, drop shots) and to use the entire court.