The variety of the game of tennis extends also to the types of surfaces that it is played on. The four major tournaments or grand slam titles are played on unique surfaces that add identity and new challenges at every event. Players must adapt not only to their opponents, but also to the different speeds and spins that the tennis court surfaces might throw at them. Court speed ratings can vary depending on the manufacturer and the type of materials used to produce the court. Speed ratings listed below next to the types of tennis courts are based on the surfaces used at the four grand slam tournaments.
Introduction to the Surfaces
Hard Court Tennis: Medium Fast
The hard court is the most common of the surfaces. The hard court is a combination of either an asphalt or concrete base covered by an acrylic coating. Hard courts are generally considered to be medium/high in terms of speed.
The US Open tournament, Olympic Games 2008, and NCAA Championships are all hosted on a hard court surface called Deco Turf. The production of these courts follows a normal hard court specification and are layers of acrylic rubber and silica over asphalt or concrete. Recent years of tennis have seen this surface to actually be quite fast when compared to other manufactured synthetic surfaces. The gritty surface of a hard court is tough on your shoes as well. Try to always have a pair of the best tennis shoes with a durable out sole when playing on this surface.
The ball can be expected to have a more natural bounce. The other surfaces have more of an effect on the balls vertical motion whereas a hard court will be more true when delivering the height of the bounce off the court.
Synthetic Hard Court: Medium Fast
The recent Australian Open uses a synthetic hard court called Plexicushion. The court is still considered around the same classification as the US Open courts, but is widely considered to be considerably slower.
The benefit of a synthetic court is that the base is constructed from latex, rubber, and plastic particles rather than the usual asphalt or concrete. This creates a softer base that is easier on the athletes body. These courts also last longer than a normal hard court with less maintenance since they are not as prone to cracking.
Strategies to Keep in Mind When Playing on Hard Courts
- Play good aggressive tennis while paying attention to court positioning. When the opponent hits a short ball take advantage by hitting deep into the open court. Move forward when opponent is badly out of position and won’t be able to hit a strong reply.
Clay Court Tennis: Slow and High Bouncing
The clay court will always consist of some fine and gritty material. The French Open Roland Garros uses a red clay surface covered by loose crushed brick. The effect of the surface is to slow down the speed of the ball. The friction of the court also cause the ball to jump higher than it normally would causing a ball that is both slow and sits up in the court.
Because of this effect on speed and height it makes it much harder to strike winners through the court. This favors the defensive player that is content to sit back and grind long rallies out on the baseline. It is also an added benefit to players to use excessive topspin because the surface will magnify the effect of their shot. A clear example of this is Nadal, the king of clay, who has won six titles at the French Open
Because of the sliding you’ll be doing on this surface try to wear clay court tennis shoes to handle the buildup of clay and produce a more even effect when sliding into shots.
Strategies to Keep in Mind When Playing on Clay Courts
- Play with consistency and don’t try to go for too much. You won’t be able to put the ball away as often so you will less winners and more unforced errors. Be patient
- Hit with lots of topspin to take advantage of the court. Placing shots like these to an opponents backhand is almost always a good play
- Slide into your shots and don’t over run them
- Hit behind your opponent. Changing directions on clay isn’t easy, players will automatically recover to the middle of the court after a point, when you hit behind them they will have to sharply change directions again.
Grass Court Tennis: Medium/Fast and Low Bouncing
Grass or lawn tennis courts have always been the unique choice of Wimbledon. Some grass courts are synthetic using a mixture of sand, dirt, and something called Astro-Turf. The surface at Wimbledon, however, is natural grown perennial ryegrass.
Largely the biggest effect of the grass court is to cause the ball to bounce much lower than normal. It forces the player to react much more quickly than they would otherwise have to, essentially making the surface seem very fast. The actual play is probably quite similar to a hard court with the exception of the low bounce.
Wimbledon courts suffer from two weeks of heavy competition and are completely beaten up by the end of it. The choice of the perennial ryegrass was for durability and while it does perform better than the mix that they used previously, the barren wasteland that remains after a tournament speaks against this surfaces maintainability. Try playing in lighter footwear like the Roger Federer shoes when on grass.
Strategies to Keep in Mind When Playing on Grass Courts
- Mix up the serve, especially using slice effectively to create tough returns
- Extra focus on good foot work and preparation in base line rallies
- Hit heavy slice. The ball stays low and makes it incredibly tough for an opponent to handle. The slice is normally directed at an opponents backhand, but sometimes players will have trouble with the different timing on their forehand as well. Try mixing in some slice to both wings and see how the player handles it
Recent Major Surface Changes Seen at the Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments
- Wimbledon Surface Change 2002 — The grass was being destroyed too early on in the tournament so the choice was made to switch from a mix of grasses to 100% of the perennial ryegrass to achieve more durability. Players commented that this slowed the court down considerable and took away a lot of the identity that Wimbledon had maintained by hosting such a quick surface.
- Australian Open Surface Change 2008 — Players had made complaints that the Rebound Ace surface used was becoming very sticky in the heat and causing unnecessary injuries. The response was to replace the surface with Plexicushion, another synthetic hard court. Plexicushion retains and radiates less heat off the court, but players also believed that this change produced a slower playing court.