Australian Open organisers have forecast a repeat of the court conditions that helped Roger Federer on his way to a fifth Melbourne Park crown.
Open boss Craig Tiley last year rejected locker-room claims organisers "sped up the courts for Roger" amid talk of perceived inconsistencies.
But speaking after his quarter-final victory last year over Mischa Zverev, Federer said there was "no doubt" the conditions had played in his favour as he marched towards an 18th grand slam triumph.
Serve-and-volley specialist Zverev's deep run, which included a stunning fourth-round defeat of then-world No.1 Andy Murray, was seen as further proof some courts may have had a little extra zip to them.
The courts at Melbourne Park are resurfaced towards the end of each year and generally take a few weeks to reach their top speed once the acrylic has been applied.
This makes the timing of the process particularly important.
Tiley last year admitted the show courts, which were resurfaced slightly earlier than the others, had been as fast at the start of 2017 as they were at the end of the 2016 tournament.
But he says there has been no change to the annual resurfacing process and players should expect the courts to be the same "medium-fast" pace of last year.
Tiley also believes the pace on offer at Melbourne Park enhances the overall spectacle by catering to a variety of playing styles.
"The speed encourages that," Tiley told AAP.
"It's funny, because players say 'Oh, the court is fast' ... and then we had a clay-court player (Rafael Nadal) and a fast-court player in the final.
"The best players, no matter what the surfaces, figure out a way to get to the end."
The fact only some courts are exposed to the sun is another variable in the long and "very specific" resurfacing process.
"There's only a few people that know the technique because even the way you put the surface on and the angle at which you do the brush makes a difference," Tiley said.
Officials tested court speeds daily throughout last year's tournament and found that they had remained within the expected range.
But Tiley wasn't surprised the issue became a locker-room talking point.
"We've 51 courts to do ... it's almost impossible to get the exact same speed on every court," he said.
"I've been around the game a long time, and the first thing a player or a coach ever remarks upon is the speed of the court.
"I'll walk down on the first day that Roger's hitting or Rafa's hitting and I'll look them in the eye and know exactly what they're going to tell me.
"We've done it exactly the same as last year, and (most players) liked the surface last year."
