With the European clay season concluding on Sunday at Roland Garros, and ATP World Tour tournaments kicking off on Monday in Stuttgart and Halle, it’s officially grass-court season!

Many people wonder if a hard-court shoe will be suitable on a clay court or even a grass court. While you can get away with it, there is a reason why there are specific shoes for specific surfaces. Each surface plays a little differently and your game and footwork can change depending on what surface you are playing on. Let’s take a look at what the distinctions are between these three types of shoes.

Grass-Court Shoes

Despite grass-court tournaments only lasting for a few weeks on the ATP World Tour tour, some players are fortunate to enjoy grass tennis all year long. Like clay, grass is much softer on your body and joints. While there are not a ton of grass-court shoe options to choose from, this surface tends to play fast and you will definitely want the correct shoes on court.

Grass court shoes have outsoles which feature “nubs” or “pimples” that are reminiscent of cleat-like-shoes. Outsoles with nubs provide great grip for players on what can often be slippery grass. Despite the aggressive tread, the outsole shouldn’t do any damage to the court and will help players feel comfortable moving quickly on this fast surface. Unlike hard-court shoes, these cannot be used on other surfaces.

Clay-Court Shoes

Clay courts are typically the slowest of the three surfaces and while you may not be able to master the movement right away, finding the right shoe should be simple!

You will want a shoe with the right levels of traction to help you move gracefully on the court, as well as lateral support to keep you supported when sliding into shots. What mainly sets all these shoes apart is the outsole. The outsole of a clay court shoe will typically feature a full herringbone (zig zag) tread pattern, which offers great grip on this slippery surface. This pattern won’t allow the clay to lodge to the outsole as much as the tighter hard court tread designs, so you can get more traction when you try to start, stop or change directions. If the clay does build up, a couple of taps to the side of your shoe from your racquet should knock all the clay loose from the outsole. The herringbone design also makes sliding from side to side more predictable. You can perfectly glide into a shot and recover, but also have the traction needed for moving forward and backward.

Clay-court specific shoes often have a tighter knit upper, which will come in handy if you plan on playing on clay on a regular basis. This not only aids in stability, but helps keep the clay from entering your shoes. These shoes won’t come with an outsole guarantee as the clay is usually much gentler on your outsoles. However, sometimes the shoes will offer added durability on high wear areas where your feet might drag.

Hard-Court Shoes

The most popular and common tennis court surface is a hard court. This court is also the most demanding when it comes to outsole durability. Depending on where you play, you may encounter a gritty, slower hard court or possibly a slick, more slippery, quick court. Either way, the soles of hard-court shoes are usually built to handle the demands of this surface.

Most often, they feature a modified herringbone pattern designed to give you the perfect blend of grip and give on the court. Hard-court shoes will often feature ample cushioning and a midsole that will help transfer energy into every step you take, as well as absorb shock from the harder surface. They usually feature a tough upper that will aid in support and durability. The toe area is often built up and protected for you toe draggers out there, as a gritty hard court can do some damage to your shoes.

When choosing a hard court shoe, there are usually two types you can choose from. The first is a durable, stable option that comes with a six-month outsole warranty. This means if you wear out that outsole in under six months, the manufacturer will send you another pair. The second option is a speed-oriented shoe. These are often lighter in weight and have been made to offer a faster feel. The outsole usually has a little less grab, but more give, and they have a tendency to wear out faster. Hard-court shoes are the most versatile shoes and, while not ideal, they can be used on clay or grass courts.

To find the perfect pair of shoes for the surface you play on and for more information, head to Tennis Warehouse.

Ahead of his return to the ATP World Tour next week in Stuttgart, Roger Federer recently spent time with Bill Gates in the Microsoft co-founder’s hometown of Seattle. ESPN The Magazine chronicled their enlightening and entertaining weekend together for the World Fame 100 issue, in which Federer came in 4th on the list. Below is an excerpt of the feature.

A couple of days before the exhibition, Federer, wife Mirka and a few others from his team visited Gates’ 66,000-square-foot compound on the shores of Lake Washington, called Xanadu 2.0. Before courses of halibut and steak, they spoke about physics and Leonardo da Vinci and his audacious, open-minded genius. Growing up, Federer wasn’t focused on being a student, he says. He stopped going to school at age 16 to play tennis full time. Over the years, he’s tried to soak up knowledge where he can. The night at Gates’ estate was a career high point. “It was so inspiring,” he says. “It was surreal.”

Gates invited his guests into his library. He and Federer paid special attention to a notebook in a glass case — the Codex Leicester, filled with Leonardo’s drawings, theories and thoughts. Gates paid $30.8 million for it in 1994.

Federer stared in amazement. “He tells you that Da Vinci wrote upside down and from right to left — Leonardo da Vinci! — and he was not only great at one thing but he was also great at other things, and you realize how broad somebody’s mind can be. Bill Gates is one of those people too. You can feel it. He makes you — not because he wants to in any way, because he’s super humble — but he just makes you feel so small, in the sense that I know so little. Everything he says just seems really important, and you try to absorb it. I tried really to put my antennas up.”

Over the course of a long weekend, Federer and Gates had two dinners and a lunch together. They practiced tennis in front of an exclusive audience of deep-pocket donors, and Federer presented Gates with a new racket similar to his own, a matte-black Wilson RF97. It was inscribed on the throat with Gates’ profile and renamed the BG97.

Gates was struck by Federer’s curiosity, and, of course, by his grace. “You know, tennis, it’s sort of physics,” he says. “But it’s also artistic, particularly the way Roger appears to move so effortlessly.” Practicing with Federer, noticing his attention to detail, his meticulous approach, Gates was reminded of a software engineer’s painstaking efforts to make computer programs easy to use. “You’re making impossible things actually look fairly easy because you’ve done so much behind the scenes to understand it,” he says.

The ESPN World Fame issue is on newsstands until June 16. Read the full Federer story here.

Another gripping fortnight on the terre battue of Roland Garros is nearly in the books, with two former titlists set to square off for the Coupe des Mousquetaires. There have been no shortage of storylines throughout the first 14 days of the tournament and the same can be said for Sunday’s championship between third seed Stan Wawrinka and fourth seed Rafael Nadal.

Nadal has been careening towards a date with destiny, marching into a 10th final in the French capital without dropping a set. As ruthless as the Spaniard had been in streaking to the titles in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, he has been arguably even more impressive at Roland Garros, relinquishing just 29 games – an average of just five games lost in six matches. It is the second-fewest number of games dropped in reaching a Grand Slam final in the Open Era, behind only Bjorn Borg’s run to the 1978 Roland Garros final.

Nadal secured his place in his 22nd major final (14-7 record) with a convincing 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 victory over an in-form Dominic Thiem in Friday’s semi-finals. Now on the precipice of a historic, extraordinary achievement, the King of Clay is just one win from etching his name in the Grand Slam history books. He is bidding to not only become the first player in the Open Era to lift 10 trophies at a single tournament, but also become the oldest in history to claim his 15th major title. The Manacor native would pass Pete Sampras for solo second on the all-time list.

With his quest to complete ‘La Decima’ hanging in the balance, Nadal will face a formidable and familiar opponent in Sunday’s final. Two of the game’s deadliest, most feared weapons will be on display as Nadal’s heavy topspin forehand clashes with Wawrinka’s majestic, mammoth backhand. Both competitors will look to generate great depth on their preferred wings, taking time away from their opponent and opening the court for finishing blows. Firepower meets firepower on Court Philippe Chatrier, with No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on the line.

Fewest Games Dropped In Winning Major Title

**Nadal has dropped 29 games entering the final**

“For me, being in the final is always a very positive result,” said Nadal. “Now remains one match against a very tough opponent, so he will be full of confidence for Sunday. And he’s a very dangerous player because he can hit the ball very hard. I need to play aggressive, I need to play long, I need to try to not let him play from easy positions. If not, I’m going to be in big trouble.

“It’s true that when he hits hard, he hits really hard. Stopping him can be difficult… I will have to do everything I can to keep him from playing aggressively. If I can play long balls, if I can hit hard, if I can do that, I think I will be able to control him. I know he’s dangerous when he plays aggressively, so I need to limit his possibilities.”

Nadal leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head 15-3, but Wawrinka has history on his side as well. The 2015 champion will look to extend his perfect mark in Grand Slam finals, entering his second Roland Garros title match with a 3-0 record.

“To play Rafa on clay in the final of the French Open is probably the biggest challenge you can have in tennis,” said Wawrinka. “He’s the best player ever on clay. He’s going for his 10th Roland Garros, so it’s something really impressive, something tough.”

All-Time Grand Slam Titles List

One of the biggest clutch performers in today’s game, the Swiss is also no stranger to denying dates with destiny. In the 2014 Australian Open final, he stopped Nadal’s quest to become the first player in the Open Era to win all four majors twice. One year later, he momentarily halted Novak Djokovic’s bid to complete the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros with a near-flawless performance in the final.

The 32-year-old Swiss is looking to write his name in the history books as well, seeking to join elite company as just the third player to win three or more Grand Slam titles after turning 30. Only Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall have done so. A win would also secure him a career-high  No. 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, becoming the oldest to make his Top 2 debut in more than 40 years.

Wawrinka enters the final after surviving a grueling five-set battle against top seed Andy Murray on Friday. He notched his fourth win over a World No. 1 after nearly five hours, rallying from two-sets-to-one down to extend his win streak to 10 straight. The champion on home soil in Geneva two weeks ago, the Lausanne native is vying for his fifth straight win in a clay-court final.

Most Grand Slam Titles At 30 & Over (Open Era)

“It’s going to be really difficult,” Wawrinka added. “But again, in the end of the day, it’s the final. The pressure is on both players. No one goes on the court thinking he has no pressure. We both want to win the title and we are both going to give it our all on the court.

“He’s for sure going to be the favourite with what he’s done in the past, but also this season already he’s playing so well. So I will have for sure to play my best tennis. But again, I did that in the past, so we will see what’s going to happen on Sunday.”