윔블던, Wimbledon

[윔블던]
매년 6월 말~7월 초 영국 런던의 윔블던에서 열리는 잔디 코트 대회로, 그랜드 슬램 대회 중에서도 최고의 권위와 전통을 자랑하기로 유명하다. 경기에 착용하는 복장은 반드시 흰색으로 통일한다는 엄격한 규정을 고수하고 있다는 점이 특징이다.

잔디 코트 특성상 서브가 강한 선수들이 강세를 보인다. 이는 표면이 미끄럽고 바운드가 낮아서 리턴이 상대적으로 어려운 데다, 대회 중반부터는 선수들이 자주 밟는 베이스 라인 근처에 잔디가 벗겨지고 맨땅이 드러나면서 불규칙 바운드가 발생하기 쉽기 때문이다. 2000년대 들어서는 잔디의 종류를 바꾸고 모래와 물을 뿌리는 등의 조치를 취하면서 서브가 비교적 약한 선수들의 우승도 늘어났다.

한편, 클레이 코트와 잔디 코트의 특성이 180도 다른 터라 막 클레이 시즌을 끝낸 선수들이 잔디 코트 적응에 어려움을 겪고는 한다. 잔디 코트의 경우 마스터스/WTA 1000 대회는 없지만, 윔블던을 앞두고 6월 한달 동안 유럽 각지에서 2회의 ATP/WTA 500 대회를 비롯해 여러 대회가 열리는데, 클레이 시즌에 집중한 선수들은 이 시기 잔디 대회를 건너뛰고, 윔블던마저도 이후 하드 코트 스윙에 앞서 컨디션 점검 겸 밑져야 본전이라는 생각으로 참가하는 경우가 적지 않다. 이러한 점에서 투어의 계절학기 종강 주간이라고 볼 수도 있다.

 

 

 

[ Wimbledon ]
It is a grass court competition held at Wimbledon in London from late June to early July every year, and is famous for boasting the highest authority and tradition among Grand Slam competitions. It is characterized by adhering to strict regulations that ensure that the clothes worn at games are unified to white.

Due to the nature of grass courts, players with strong serve are strong. This is because return is relatively difficult due to slippery surfaces and low boundaries, and irregular boundaries are likely to occur as grass is peeled off and bare ground is exposed near the base line that players often step on from the middle of the competition. In the 2000s, the number of players with relatively weak serve increased as they changed the type of grass and took measures such as spraying sand and water.

On the other hand, the characteristics of clay courts and grass courts are 180 degrees different, so players who have just finished the clay season have difficulty adapting to grass courts. There are no Masters/WTA 1000 competitions on grass courts, but several competitions are held in Europe during the month of June ahead of Wimbledon, including two ATP/WTA 500 competitions. Players who focus on clay season skip grass competitions during this period, and even Wimbledon participate in the event with the idea that it is only a matter of condition check before the hard court swing. In this regard, it can be seen as the end of the tour's seasonal semester.