Wimbledon is now the only Grand Slam tournament where matches are played on grass, although that used to be the case at the Australian Open too before the decision to switch to hard courts was taken.

Most of the leading players are comfortable on the hard courts used these days at the Australian and US Opens, but there have been several leading players over the years with a big aversion to playing on grass.

Surprisingly two of the men who expressed their dislike for playing on grass have actually lifted the Wimbledon men's singles crown, namely Andre Agassi back in 1992 and Rafael Nadal in 2008.

If grass divides opinion, then the red clay utilised at the French Open tends to attract an even more divided view. There is no middle ground, players either love it or hate it.

Nadal is a formidable performer on clay, having learned his craft on similar courts in his native Spain, but several other leading players look far less sure whenever they venture onto clay.

John McEnroe reigned supreme at both Wimbledon and the US Open but hated playing on clay, probably even more so after he built up a two-set lead over Ivan Lendl in the 1984 final, only to lose the next three and the match.

Wimbledon will be different in 2009 with a fully retractable roof installed over centre court. The grass, though, remains firmly in place.