U.S. Open Main Court: She's Breezy, and She's Fast

Is the ball speed on Arthur Ashe Stadium faster than Wimbledon's grass, traditionally considered the slickest of all surfaces?

Roger Federer says it is. Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray say it isn't. Svetlana Kuznetsova? She says the U.S. Open's Grandstand Court is quickest of all.

At least they can agree on this: The hardcourts at the U.S. Open stand apart for pace when compared to most hardcourts on both tours.

Opened in 1997, Ashe Stadium is by far the biggest and most cavernous of the four main Grand Slam stadiums. It has 23,771 seats and soars at its highest point to 190 feet.

By comparison, Wimbledon's Centre Court, renovated and expanded in 2009, seats 15,000.

Federer, who is seeking his seventh consecutive final, says grass is fast. But taking into account other factors -- including temperature, ball type and time of day -- Federer says the DecoTurf II cement at Flushing Meadows is zippier.

"I just feel on average the U.S. Open could be the fastest Grand Slam," said Federer, whose owns five U.S. Open titles among his record 16 Grand Slam triumphs. "You can really hit through the court if you play aggressive here."

It could also explain why his main rival, top-seeded Rafael Nadal, has not played well enough to go past the semifinals in seven tries.

"That could be one of the problems for Rafa here in the past," the No. 2 seed from Switzerland said. "But the problems are on a very high level. I mean, the guy's won in Australia; he's been here in (two) semis already; this guy doesn't need to learn how to play on hardcourts anymore."

Nadal disagrees. Asked if grass is faster than DecoTurf II, the No. 1 Spaniard said: "For sure. No question about that."

Fourth-seeded Andy Murray backed him up.

"I think Wimbledon is faster," the 2008 U.S. Open finalist said. "The balls are slower at Wimbledon, but the court itself is definitely quicker. Obviously the heat here can make the court fast, as well."