Hard courts hardest on body, says Nadal

THE hard courts at the US Open may provide thrills for tennis fans but they leave players in more physical pain than clay or grass courts, said world No. 1 Rafael Nadal.

While the speedy Wimbledon grass can be taxing, the Spaniard with a history of knee problems said the hard courts are more punishing overall.

“To be honest with you, I feel that this surface is much more aggressive than grass or clay in all aspects,” Nadal said following his fourth round victory at Flushing Meadows.

“For the hip, for the knees, for the ankles, for the back,” he said.

The 31-year-old twice US Open champion, who is considered the best clay court player ever after winning a record 10 French Open titles, said he worries that hard courts will lead to health issues for younger players down the road.

“Is true that the players are playing longer, but at the same time, young players are playing a lot on hard (surfaces) and I don’t know if that is going to be very healthy for the future,” Nadal said.

Perhaps to lessen the impact of the hard court on the body, players such as two-time US Open champion Novak Djokovic and Frenchman Gael Monfils often slide along the baseline to get to shots as opposed to stopping hard with their feet.

But Nadal does not see the trend of playing a considerable chunk of the season on hard courts changing as they are more practical to maintain than other surfaces.