Tracy Austin: Slower grass can make this Scot great

The slower and higher bounce we are seeing on Wimbledon's grass these days, especially as the courts get firmer and drier, was a big ally in Andy Murray's exciting defeat of Radek Stepanek, the win which pushed him into the headlines and the headlights. The bounce gave Andy time to set up his passing shots, which he did so wonderfully.

What a great plus it was for him to learn his tennis on clay in Barcelona. It has made all the difference. He is very good at mixing his shots up, with slices and drops. Unlike so many others, he doesn't just hit every ball as hard as he can.

The way the courts are now would have suited somebody like Jimmy Connors, who liked to stay back. They would have suited me, too. In the early Eighties, Wimbledon's grass was so slick and fast, and almost every woman was a serve-volleyer, players like Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagong and Virginia Wade. The list used to go on and on. Nowadays there is virtually no list.

The game has changed, too. The serve is bigger, so the ball gets there quicker, and the return is bigger because rackets are so much more powerful. Kids can pick up a racket at five or six years old and think they can hit a winner from anywhere on court, even if they are five feet behind the baseline, which means things have changed mentally as well as physically.

Once you had to work out a point strategically. Now power comes into play more often, and I don't think it is ever going to change. People like power rackets, so the manufacturers are never going to go back to anything slower.

The advent of power brought its problems on fast surfaces, with Wimbledon finals like the one between Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic being labelled boring, and I am sure that was something the people at Wimbledon didn't want to hear. Hence the change.

Even the people are bigger these days. In my day, Navratilova was somebody muscular and forbidding. Now when you look at her she is only 5ft 8in or so. I walked past Dinara Safina of Russia the other day and she has got to be 6ft 2in. I couldn't believe it. In the past five years, with the Williams sisters being so physical, the bar has been raised. Everyone is so physically fit these days.

Even though Justine Henin-Hardenne is only 5ft 6in she could outwrestle you. Look at her legs, so massive. It has become a much more physical game. Maybe that's why we are seeing so many injuries. The demand is on their bodies every single day. If they are not in a tournament they are working out with weights.

Look at Rafael Nadal. The kid has just turned 19, and with biceps like that he is such a physical specimen. And what a character; the Spaniard is already great for the game. To me, he shows excitement and enthusiasm appropriately. He does it personally but he is not in your face, like some players are.

Murray is still learning that side of the game. He was pumping his fists a bit too much in his first match, but the next time he was more subdued and it worked. It was great that he managed to change that aspect. But it is good to see that at 18 Murray has already realised that crowds want to see people with charisma, to see more than just the tennis. Showboating isn't necessary, but it's nice to see emotion.

Andy Roddick has tons of charisma and is a true star in the US, he has a connection with the crowd. What a pity there aren't more like him, in style and talent, in America and Britain. You guys in this country have so much money to put into tennis, and so have we in the United States, but it is not happening.

You need a special combination to develop champions: this tremendous drive, this tremendous ability to play big-time matches, physical talent, good technique. When you get a Murray, you wonder how this nugget comes out of Scotland. Because he's a kid who wants it so badly. It's the hunger.

Most hungry fighters now come out of places like Russia, because they know success at tennis is the key to a better lifestyle. To me, it's about the extra hour of practice at the end of the day. People like Maria Sharapova are willing to put in the extra hours, to push themselves that bit extra.

You also need at least one person in your family to support and encourage you. Judy Murray is a great asset to her son. She was a player herself, so she knows that whatever he needs she is going to try to provide it.