SASR Norms & Standards Vol 2 new.indd - Sport and Recreation ...

Grass Courts
Grass courts are the fastest type of tennis courts in common use (Astro Turf is faster but is primarily
only used for personal courts). They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, similar to golf
greens, which adds an additional variable: bounces depends on how healthy the grass is, how recently
it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play. Points are usually very quick where fast, low
bounces keep rallies short, and the serve plays a more important role. Grass courts tends to favour
serve-and-volley tennis players. The most famous grass tennis court is Centre Court at Wimbledon. The
surface is less fi rm and more slippery than hard courts, causing the ball to slide and bounce lower, and
so the players the ball faster.
Serve and volley players take advantage of the surface by serving the ball (usually a slice serve because
of its effectiveness on grass) and then running to the net to cut off the return of serve, leaving their
opponents with little time to reach the low-bouncing, fast moving ball. Players often hit fl atter shots to
increase power and allow the ball to travel faster after and before the ball hits the ground. Due to high
maintenance costs however, grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed often, and
takes a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts.
Indoor Courts
Special surfaces can only be used indoors. Most commonly carpet surfaces, carpet courts vary in
playing characteristics due to differences in thickness, texture, and materials used in the base and yarn.
Suspended surfaces may be used indoors.
The ATP tennis tour also considers rubber surfaces as carpet, such as that of the Paris Masters. While
being the most common surface for real tennis, wood is the rarest surface for tennis. It is also the fastest
surface, which bounces faster and lower than grass. There are many other types of indoor surfaces
including fake grass.
Clay Court
Tennis
A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale,
stone or brick. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru “American” clay. The French Open uses
clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam titles.
Although more traditional and cheaper to construct than other types of tennis courts, maintenance
costs are higher than those of hard courts. Clay courts need to be rolled to preserve fl atness. The clay’s
water content must be balanced; green courts generally require the courts to be sloped to allow water
run-off.
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