Grass-Court Players Who Mastered Fast Conditions

Grass keeps the ball low and skidding, so points are short and the first two shots matter most: the serve, the return and the first volley or groundstroke after them. Conditions have also changed. Until the early 2000s Wimbledon's grass was faster and the bounce lower, so serve-volley dominated; since then a more durable rye grass and slower balls have given baseliners more time. This list covers both eras and explains which skills each player used to shorten points, from Margaret Court and Rod Laver to Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina.