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Koreans make the most of home-court edge
New balls, please. And while you are at it, get some linesmen and courts that don't favor the South Koreans so much.
New balls, please.
And while you are at it, get some linesmen and courts that don't favor the South Koreans so much. Also, some translators to help umpires communicate with linesmen would be nice.
Top tennis professionals playing here at the Asian Games have found several problems with the tennis set-up, although they also acknowledge that it's not a great surprise the home side has favorable conditions.
"We're playing the host country and we have had the experience of playing here before," Indonesia's Wynne Prakusya said. "That's why we are angry at some of the decisions."
The hard-court surface here plays more like clay, with a grainy playing area that slows down balls and sets up a baseline game such as the Koreans prefer.
Add that to host-nation line judges and it's no wonder Indonesia's Angelique Widjaja was extra cautious when playing South Korea in the team semi-finals.
"It's their house and I think the linesman favored them. That's why we had to be patient," Widjaja said. "That's normal."
India veteran Leander Paes sees it much like a Davis Cup home side picking their favorite surface for a tie.
"The conditions most favor one who just tries to keep the ball in play," Paes said. "For guys like us who like to play tennis, it's not a good surface.
"The Koreans like the surface. They are like roadrunners, getting everything back. For a serve and volley player, the conditions are difficult."
Paes emphasized that he was not making excuses, because the conditions and balls are the same for all players.
"It's their home-court advantage," Paes said. "We can complain, but we basically have to deal with it."
The balls, Paes found, grow bigger with prolonged use and are softer than the ATP version which serve swatter blast across the net.
"The longer you hit them, the bigger they get. They have no pressure," Paes said. "You have got to hit at least three or four winners to get one because the ball doesn't go where you want."
Oleg Ogodorov, the top-ranked player for men's team favorite Uzbekistan, was among those who found the balls affected his game because they are far from the quality used on the ATP Tour.
"The court is OK. The balls, they have an affect," he said. "They are small and light. You play more from the back."
