By Sayan Mukherjee
New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS): Sergi Bruguera, a former World No.3 who twice triumphed at the French Open, feels tennis has changed nowadays and he misses "the variety that was there" during his playing days.

"Nowadays the surfaces are pretty even. So the standard and nature of tennis is pretty much the same -- be it clay, grass or hard courts. There is not too much variety," Bruguera, 43, told IANS in an interview here.

"People are stronger. They hit the ball much harder. There aren't any visible weaknesses in the game of today's players," said the strapping 6'2" tall Spaniard.

Currently in India as part of the Mumbai Tennis Masters team in the inaugural Champions Tennis League (CTL), he turned professional in 1988 and retired in 2002, winning 14 singles titles with a 447-271 win-loss record.

The former World No.3 said that the evenness of playing conditions has resulted in sustenance of a very high level of tennis from the players throughout the year, but it has affected the uniqueness the game possessed then.

Playing on different surfaces earlier demanded greater skill, he said.

"The level of tennis is very high and consistent today. The skill level has not decreased much, but I miss the variety that was there during my playing days -- the serve and volley play, the chip and charge, among other things," said Bruguera, who won successive French Open titles in 1993 and 1994.

He explained that the nature of the surface on which matches are played, coupled with changing dynamics of the ball, has resulted in the degradation in quality.

"The surface and the ball have undergone a massive change from my playing days. Now the ball is heavier, the courts are slower, you need to hit the ball harder. Earlier a guy who had talent but wasn't so physical could play at the top level but now you have to develop the physical aspect of your game to sustain yourself on the tour," said the Spaniard who won the Olympic silver at 1996 Atlanta.

"In my time, we had no chance to beat Pete Sampras on grass or indoor courts. The courts used to be very fast. That is why there were so many attacking players with huge serves with a serve-and-volley game because it was difficult to play on fast courts from the baseline," added Bruguera who now sports a short cropped hairstyle.

He added that the changing attributes of the surface have resulted in players adopting a more conservative approach, preferring to play from the baseline, engaging in long rallies and waiting for the opponent to make mistakes to win points rather than taking the initiative upon themselves.

"Now, the courts are a lot slower. So when you attack and charge, it is relatively easier to make a passing shot. Contemporary players don't come to the net and volley that much," said Bruguera who speaks with a heavy Spanish accent.

On whether the introduction of franchisee-based tournaments like Vijay Amritraj's CTL and Mahesh Bhupathi's International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) could further congest an already packed calendar and hamper players' preparations for big tournaments, Bruguera said that the decision is entirely up to the players how to balance their schedule and keep themselves fresh and injury free.

"It depends on the itinerary that each player follows. The season is very long and after completing it some players may choose not to play in CTL. But some may use this tournament as a pre-season warm-up; so it can be good for them," the right-hander signed off.