The evolution of tennis through the wear and tear of the grass in the Wimbledon finals
In any image of the finals of the 70s, 80s and 2000s you can see how the grass is very worn both in the baseline and in the volley area. And it is not just that now the gardeners have better technologies for the care of the grass that avoid wear, there is also an explanation of the evolution of tennis at a technical level
Previously on grass the main strategy of tennis players was the serve and volley. Back then, the Wimbledon grass in the volley area barely made it to the final. In recent years the service boxes are pristine on the last day of the tournament and it is the baseline area that is more sand than grass
The explanation is simple: serve and volley are no longer used as before. Wooden rackets were more suitable for this style of play, they were heavier and it was impossible to finish the point from the back of the court, so they tried to win at the net
Wooden rackets stopped being used at the end of the 80s and in the 90s, with the revolution of carbon fiber, graphite and other material rackets, the type of game changed. Since then, the game from the back of the court has become the norm on the circuit. With the evolution of materials and physical preparation, today's tennis players follow a common pattern: they are tall, hit hard from both sides, serve very hard and finish points at the back of the court.