The most charming of the Majors starts today (May 22nd) in Paris. In times when powerful shots and great athleticism are the predominant skills on the courts, it still seems like the best tennis in the world is played on the slow clay.

Clay court tennis is more demanding on the players, not only physically speaking. To be a good clay court player, one needs to have a very solid ground stroke foundation, otherwise he or she will not be able to handle the long rallies and the strategic play execution that is needed to be successful. Expecto to see a lot of that in Paris.