by Lynn Edwards

Created on: June 27, 2008   Last Updated: May 01, 2012

What tennis-hating iconoclast came up with such a question? It's absolute heresy!

Wimbledon has earned the right to label itself The Championships because of its heritage. Grass was the only surface upon which the game was played for many, many years and those lawns were not nearly as meticulously tended as they are today at the All England Club. It was also tournaments, such as Wimbledon, that popularized the sport and inspired others to devise surfaces to suit their climates. Why would the original become one of the copies?

The grass court season only accounts for 5 weeks of tennis' nearly year long season, and on the 5th week there are clay court tournaments being contested elsewhere. Once upon a time, three of the four Grand Slam tournaments were grass court events. That's what makes Wimbledon special and its Centre Court the Cathedral of Tennis. It's unique, true to itself and retains that the majesty of tradition that only time can bestow. International competition germinated on those grounds, and love it or not, the tennis community acknowledges its pre-eminence in the sport.

Admittedly, hard courts require the least amount of maintenance when compared to grass and clay, but that's no reason to use them exclusively. You may as well ask a five star restaurant to put in a drive thru because it's quick, convenient and serves more customers.

Among the numerous challenges that tennis provides for the professional player is the change of venue. Grass, clay, hard and indoor courts each present him/her with different conditions that suit some and harm others. A player can excel on one surface and perform dismally on others while a few can seamlessly adjust to whatever changing conditions arise. Eliminating any surface for any other would only weaken the sport instead of enhancing it, and starting at the pinnacle of the game is pure idiocy. It makes about as much sense as holding the Super Bowl in Beijing.

As the years have passed, the grass at Wimbledon has been adapted to the changes in the game along with the tournament itself. In this year's 2008 Wimbledon, Marat Safin, a self-proclaimed hater of the surface, stated that it played like a hard court during his upset of Novak Djokovic, which it does when the weather remains dry. Yet, the silence that grass gives to the game remains. There just isn't an ounce of sense in turning the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world into a parking lot.

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