Say hello to arguably the hardest fork in the tennis calendar.

While the 10-week clay swing from early April to early June can feel like a marathon in terms of tournaments played, grinding points endured and extended match lengths, the grass season, lasting little more than a month, is more akin to a sprint.

As the Tours shift from clay to grass, players swap their herringbone-soled shoes for pimpled outsoles designed to grip the sport's fastest surface.

Sliding gives way to slipping, art gives way to power and dirty socks become a thing of the past.

It all culminates with one of the greatest events in all of sports: The Championships at Wimbledon, running June 29-July 12. There is an extra buzz surrounding the grass-court major this year as fans anticipate the return of 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams at the All England Club after her decision to step out of retirement to play doubles at lead-in events.

The hasty clay-to-grass adjustment as late spring in Europe transitions into summer contrasts sharply with how players prepare for the BNP Paribas Open in late February.

Players arrive early in the Californian desert to take advantage of idyllic spring conditions, an abundance of courts and extra practice days to refine their games and work on their match fitness. This year, Jannik Sinner arrived especially early to undergo a conditioning block that underpinned his remarkable sweep of the first five ATP Masters 1000 titles of the year.

Early arrivers also have the chance to mentally reset and chill out on the beloved player lawn or on the many nearby pristine golf courses. Canada’s Victoria Mboko arrived so early this year she needed to enlist tournament director Tommy Haas as a practice partner.

Grass-court tennis underwent a major change just after the turn of the century. Historically, serve & volleyers ruled the day, with the likes of Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, nine-time champion Martina Navratilova, Jana Novotna and Conchita Martinez rushing the net to claim titles.

Many top-ranked clay-court specialists didn’t even bother to turn up to Wimbledon.

Concerned that the greatest showcase of tennis had become one of the least watchable due to a lack of rallies, the All England Club slowed down playing conditions, levelling the field for all game styles.

Although some tennis purists bemoan the demise of serve-and-volley tennis on grass, others believe the slower conditions have been a net positive, producing more entertaining rallies.

This year’s grass season will carry extra interest with 44-year-old, seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams stepping out of retirement. For now, she’s just committed to doubles, but don’t be surprised if she is offered a singles wild card into Wimbledon.

Serena won her doubles return this week in London alongside Victoria Mboko, but the team had to withdraw after the Canadian slipped on the grass during a singles match and suffered a serious knee injury. Serena is scheduled to play doubles again next week in Berlin.