'Cool' new surface for Australian Open
Wed 30 May, 07:43 AM


MELBOURNE (AFP) - The Australian Open will introduce a new rubberised tennis surface next year that offers more consistent bounce and cooler court temperatures, organisers said Wednesday.

Tournament director Craig Tiley said the new Plexicushion surface had already proved a hit with Lleyton Hewitt, Australia's top-ranked player and a frequent critic of the existing Rebound Ace courts.

Tiley said the new hi-tech surface supplied by Melbourne firm W.M. Loud offered a number of advantages over Rebound Ace, which has been used at the season-opening Grand Slam since 1988.

"W.M. Loud's technology will ensure a consistent pace and bounce," he said. "The age of the courts necessitated a reconstruction."

Tiley said the major difference between Plexicushion and Rebound Ace was that the existing court's acrylic surface was laid over rubber mats, while the new one would be set atop layers of rubberised resin.

He said it meant the new surface could be customised to achieve a more consistent result and contained less rubber, meaning it will retain less heat in the often furnace-like conditions at Melbourne Park in January.

Complaining about the existing surface's inconsistency has become almost an annual ritual for Hewitt, the tournament runner-up in 2005, and Tiley said the two-time Grand Slam winner supported the move to re-lay the courts.

"Lleyton's excited about the change," he said. "His greatest criticism in the past has been that the courts have been inconsistent.

"We believe this surface will remove that issue and provide a surface that will satisfy all players."

The prospect of a cooler surface will be welcomed by players, who frequently raise concerns as on-court temperatures approach 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) at the height of the Australian summer.

That should be a plus for the players. I do not think there is already a tounament played on this surface so it is difficult to see how it compares with existing or hard surfaces. It says the pace will be similar to existing one (medium to medium fast).

i personally would like to see grass back in the AO. Never gonna 'appen, I know but against excess heat, there is nothing better but also better for the body and joints. And though we already have Wimbledon, grass can offer a much different pace and bounce than the English courts.

Natural surfaces (clay and grass) is like natural gut. No equivalent for the feel. Players would be much less injured if they were playin only those surfaces.