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We need fast courts like Paris, top players say

Tennis needs faster courts because the slower surfaces are helping baseliners and killing off serve and volleying, three of the world’s top four players said at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.

In the early rounds, Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco and Andy Murray have struggled early on as they try to get to grips with a court that has had a complete overhaul since 2009.

“It’s very fast ... a lot different from last year (which) was quite slow,” defending champion Djokovic told reporters after reaching the third round with a 6-4 6-3 win over Argentine Juan Monaco.

“It’s good to have a faster court so you can make the players go to the net a little bit more.”

The Serbian world number three said most courts nowadays were slow, whether indoor or outdoor.

“The players that are on top of men’s tennis these days are baseline players,” said Djokovic. “You don’t see a lot of serve and volleying because everybody’s returning so well.”

Andy Murray, who described the court as the fastest he had played on since joining the ATP tour, switched his tactics after after falling a set down against David Nalbandian turning to a more classical serve and volley style.

“I wish there was more (variety)... I like the different surfaces and what they bring,” said the world number four.

Big-hitting American Andy Roddick breezed past Finn Jarkko Nieminen 6-1 6-4 with a mix of booming serves and subtle volleys, something the eighth-seeded American feels is missing from the game.

“It’s a different type of tennis ... you get rewarded for chipping balls around,” he said.

“I believe it’s become so monotonous ... it feels like there is a slow court available nine months of the year.”

World number one Rafael Nadal has been one of the biggest beneficiaries, winning Wimbledon twice in three years as the grass courts have slowed down.

“It’s not surprising,” said Roddick. “Now even Roger (Federer) says he stays back a lot more than he used to.”

At this year’s Wimbledon, Federer bemoaned the decline of serve-and-volley saying tennis had changed for the worst since he upset seven-times champion Pete Sampras in 2001.

Federer said that when he had defeated Sampras he had served and volleyed on 80 percent of his first serves and 50 percent on his second, something he rarely did now.

“I wouldn’t like all tournaments to be like that, because then the rallies would be too short,” Federer said after comfortable beating Richard Gasquet in Paris.

“But it’s good to see matches where it all depends on one or two points. I remember Sampras, Ivanisevic or Pioline all playing like that on the circuit.”