Tennis’ Golden Swing: Ferrer, Nalbandian and Wawrinka Enjoy Clay’s Latin Beat

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: February 9, 2011

commentComment        

With barely six weeks wear under their hot and tired soles, the men of the tennis tour have already hurtled past five hard-court events and through the year’s first Major, the Australian Open.

But with February comes the first parting of the ways, not only to the disparate corners of the globe but also to new surfaces.

Many players prefer to keep their feet on the hard, synthetic surfaces until the first spike in the Masters calendar: Indian Wells and Miami. For them, there is the beating sun of South Africa, Dubai and Florida or the indoor protection of Zagreb, Rotterdam and Memphis.

But those who fancy a little respite from the punishing hard courts can head for the grandeur of Latin America and take in some of the most exotic cities in the tennis calendar: Chile’s Santiago, Brazil’s Costa do Sauipe, Argentina’s Buenos Aires and Mexico’s Acapulco.

This is the Gira Dorado: the Golden Swing.

There’s something about the burnished, shimmering heat rising from the deep rust of a clay court that warms the spirit. The sun, when it shines—as it invariably does—applies a deep, glowing color that makes the skin sing rather than singe. And there are flowers—flame-colored pelargoniums, orange marigolds, crimson hibiscus—and the scent of herbs and palms and pines.

The home players and their fellow Spanish speakers from Europe have been raised on clay. Indeed nine of the top 10 clay winners since 2000 have come from Spain or South America. The dirt is in their DNA.

Perhaps that explains the special enthusiasm and passion that the Latin fans bring to the occasion. A joyous and intense atmosphere full of gossip and bustle will drop into hushed attention as play begins.

They absorb the soundtrack of skidding feet on grit, the scuttering back and forth across the baseline, the shuttles towards the net before, point played, they ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!