Word: balled
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...tennis' championship surfaces have a distinct character that shapes a certain style of play. The French Open's clay courts - which are actually pulverized brick - slow the ball and reward long, grinding rallies of attrition. The medium-paced hard courts of the Australia and U.S. Opens provide a neutral surface for a variety of styles. But grass has the most profound influence on style of play. In 2001, Goran Ivanisevic beat Pat Rafter in a Wimbledon final that featured 38 service aces; both players favored the fast-court tactic of heading to the net to volley. A year later, however...
...variety of groundcover. The new grass was 100% perennial rye; the old courts had been a mix of 70% rye and 30% creeping red fescue. The new lawn was more durable, and allowed Wimbledon's groundsmen to keep the soil underneath drier and firmer. A firmer surface causes the ball to bounce higher. A high bounce is anathema to the serve-and-volley player, who relies on approach shots skidding low through the court. What's more, rye, unlike fescue, grows in tufts that stand straight up; these tufts slow a tennis ball down as it lands...
...decades in the U.S., it has been called the "city game." All you need is a ball and a rim and some asphalt and you can play - all day and all night. You can practice by yourself or play with nine other players. The playgrounds in the inner cities of America are open to all comers. It doesn't matter where you're from or what you look like, whether you play for the L.A. Lakers or just got out of prison. If you can play, just show up and prove it. The rule on the playground is simple: winner...
...shall see. Meantime, the ball's in, folks. Let's play...
...that the Turks showed up to play. Not the Austrians. Germany almost put the game away in the opening minutes when Miroslav Klose walked in on goal and delivered a cross to Mario Gomez three yards in front. As Gomez swung his foot forward to score the sitter, the ball took a hop and he chipped it straight up in the air. It was comically bad finishing, and the kind of break that makes you think that things weren't going to go right for Germany. Austria pressed for a goal of their own in the 18th minute, and Erwin...