I had a clay court tennis lesson with Serena Williams’ old coach who helped her win 10 Grand Slams – here’s what the surface is REALLY like to play on
The world of tennis served up more than a treat this weekend with two spectacular singles finals in the men’s and women’s game of the French Open.
On Saturday, Coco Gauff prevailed in a three-set thriller against Aryna Sabalenka to win her maiden Roland Garros title. Twenty four hours later saw one of the greatest-ever Grand Slam finals in history unfold as Carlos Alcaraz battled back from two sets down, as well as save three championship points, to defeat Jannik Sinner in five sets.
Clay courts are widely considered the toughest surface to play on but in the UK they are a rarity with hard and grass courts more common.
But what is it really like to play on clay? Mail Sport gained an insight by enjoying a rare one-on-one coaching session with world-renowned tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Courtesy of ASICS, the session took part at the historic Tennis Club de Paris – a mere 1.2 miles from Roland Garros itself.
But before the session could commence, the marginal gains to get the best out of the session had to be decided: what footwear to choose that best matched our style of play?
Mail Sport’s Luke Augustus had the privilege of a lesson with tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou
Ahead of the French Open, ASICS designed three types of footwear to combat the clay courts
Regardless of your level, to make it easier for players to find the right tennis shoes for them, ASICS has developed their Playing Style philosophy.
In doing so, the Japanese-based brand has created three different type of tennis footwear – an essential for those who wish to try and recreate the sliding ability of semi-finalist Lorenzo Musetti or wildcard sensation Lois Boisson, who also reached the final four.
Greeted by ASICS Senior Product Manager Rene Zandbergen, who has worked extremely closely with Novak Djokovic on designing the ideal tennis shoe, Mail Sport was given a run through of the options available.
The first type of footwear on offer was a Gel Resolution shoe, ideal for a baseline player due to its strong and stable design.
The second was the Solution Speed FF – moulded for all-court players who need a lightweight and nimble shoe to allow them to buzz around the baseline and net.
And finally the Court FF – a shoe that Zandbergen has been working in tandem with Djokovic on. A best of both shoe that encapsulates both of the aforementioned choices.
The choice Mail Sport picked? The Gel Resolution shoe. The reasons why? For the stability and sturdiness of it on an unfamiliar surface for this player.
With the shoe picked, next came the tennis. Playing with friends and having had lessons before is one thing, but to have a one-on-one session with Mouratoglou was a privilege and also nerve-wracking due to his illustrious CV.
The Gel Resolution shoe (top row) is ideal for players looking to play from the baseline, the Solution Speed FF (middle row) is for those agile players, while the Court FF (bottom row) is an all-around shoe that Novak Djokovic has helped develop
Lorenzo Musetti and Lois Boisson had impressive French Opens where they reached the semis
The lesson initially began with a small rally in the service box so Mouratoglou can test my skills
Working on groundstrokes, Augustus chose the Gel Resolution shoe for its stability on clay
The 54-year-old is synonymous with aiding Serena Williams reign of dominance – helping the tennis icon win 10 Grand Slams as well as 2012 Olympic gold during their 10-year working relationship.
So it is safe to say, the Frenchman knows what he is talking about.
Undertaking a rally in the confines of both service box, Mouratoglou wanted to see my ability before expanding on the session.
With Mouratoglou making me feel more at ease, the session was focused around improving the groundstrokes – hitting through the ball more with added depth and power.
To do so we kept going further back towards the bassline, and then beyond it, as forehands and backhands were exchanged across the net – to varying degrees of success at times, from yours truly as I got to grips with the height and bounce generated from the surface.
Mouratoglou’s impressive CV includes coaching the legend Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slams
After the lesson Mouratoglou asked if Augustus based his forehand mannerisms on Rafael Nadal, which was quickly rebuffed – as this Mail Sport reporter can only wish!
Mouratoglou’s patience and politeness were on show throughout the session, while the choice of shoes did as they stated by providing a stable platform for me to hit from.
Mouratoglou even remarked during the session if I base my forehand action on claycourt king Rafael Nadal due to having a similar flick of the wrist to the 14-time French Open champion. As much as I wish I could replicate just one per cent of the Spaniard’s class, I had to say that was very much not the case!
With the lesson over and new ASICS footwear obtained, Mail Sport will be taking the learnings of that session and the marginal gains gained back to the UK ahead of the grass court season and beyond.
Anybody fancy a match? Alcaraz, Sinner and Musetti need not worry though.
