ROME — Karolina Pliskova, who gained the Italian Open on Sunday, has one thing in widespread with Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova, who additionally claimed titles on clay this spring: It’s their least favourite floor.
The three play pretty related video games, constructed on first-strike energy tennis and minimal motion — a mix that’s typically ineffective on the gradual floor and permits defensive-minded gamers to scramble and ship again extra balls.
However with the French Open starting Sunday, extra girls recognized for fulfillment on laborious courts and grass have begun to crack the code of the clay.
Pliskova, who leads the WTA with 252 aces this season, referred to as her win in Rome a “miracle,” and mentioned her coach, Conchita Martinez, has been serving to her modify.
“She cherished clay, so she is aware of precisely what I ought to do,” Pliskova mentioned of Martinez. “There have been small variations: motion, possibly to place extra topspin on the balls, use drop pictures — which I by no means use, however I begin little bit — and to combine, additionally, the serves. There’s extra choices. There’s extra time on clay, in fact.”
Martinez, a four-time champion on the Italian Open between 1993 and 1996, mentioned it was essential for Pliskova’s recreation to not drift too removed from its base.
“The essence of her recreation has to stay,” Martinez mentioned. “She must be a really aggressive participant. However we’re engaged on issues like placing topspin, going just a little greater over the web, enjoying deeper, the motion, in fact. However nonetheless being aggressive, with little modifications right here and there and enhancements right here and there.”
Johanna Konta, who was runner-up to Pliskova on Sunday, mentioned the surfaces didn’t make as huge a distinction as observers would possibly suppose.
“I believe her serve is equally as efficient otherwise,” Konta mentioned of Pliskova. “I believe she was clearly utilizing her kick serve extra, as nicely, which kicked fairly excessive at this time right here. Her pictures are nonetheless flat; they’re nonetheless huge, fairly deep.”
Martinez, a former top-10 participant and main champion from Spain, made a profession out of irritating extra highly effective opponents with modifications of tempo and spin. She acknowledged that defensive stalwarts like Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep, the defending French Open champion, can nonetheless have their say on clay.
“Energy, when you have the persistence sufficient, it’s factor,” Martinez mentioned. “Typically you play towards Halep or Wozniacki or some extra defensive participant, they usually play wonderful and also you don’t see wherever the place you’ll be able to damage them, and ultimately you find yourself lacking. It’s about enjoying very aggressive, however with persistence. On clay, you want to work the purpose just a little bit extra, and bodily it’s additionally extra demanding. If you happen to’re up for a problem, it’s factor.”
Extra offensive gamers appear to be embracing that problem. High-ranked Naomi Osaka, who has gained the final two Grand Slam occasions, each on laborious courts, confirmed promise when wholesome on clay this 12 months. She put up a 7-1 file but in addition withdrew from two tournaments.
Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, has harnessed her highly effective recreation extra successfully on clay within the later levels of her profession. She has a 92.three successful proportion in her final 5 Roland Garros appearances, in contrast with 79.6 in her first 11 appearances.
Petra Kvitova, who gained in Stuttgart, Germany, final month, mentioned that gamers like herself are left with no selection however to adapt.
She mentioned that she didn’t really feel like a clay specialist, however “I believe my angle on the clay is getting higher.”
Kvitova, twice a champion at Wimbledon, mentioned she had discovered to understand the longer level building required on clay, which now comes simpler to her due to improved conditioning.
“I believe I like extra the sport plan of it,” she mentioned. “Typically you might be enjoying little bit longer rallies — I believe I’m in a position to do this now.”
Keys, who gained her first clay-court title in April on the inexperienced clay of Charleston, S.C., has constructed a steadily stronger résumé on clay, together with a runner-up finish on the Italian Open in 2016, and a run to the French Open semifinals final 12 months. She mentioned the easiest way to study the floor was merely by means of extra matches.
“Having the ability to depend on the matches I’ve gained — at first they shocked me — however I’ve slowly been in a position to construct confidence,” she mentioned.
The largest studying curve, she added, was “not getting annoyed as a result of it’s a slower floor, or as a result of the ball bounces greater.”
“Factors aren’t going to go as completely, and that’s one thing I’ve needed to settle for after which determine easy methods to do my greatest with my recreation,” Keys mentioned.
Regardless of her rising success on clay, Keys is reluctant to declare her affection for the floor.
Whereas filming a WTA promotional video earlier than the Italian Open, Keys was requested to call one thing she cherished about clay, and he or she stayed silent for a number of seconds.
“‘Love’ is an enormous step,” Keys mentioned. “It’s an enormous phrase. You must work your approach to it. We’re acquaintances. We’re work pals. We’re engaged on attending to know one another.”