Surfaces in Practice

Red clay is made of crushed brick, which also forms the loose top layer players slide on.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

The loose grains let a shoe slide as the player arrives at the ball, which is a skill on clay.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Clay grips and slows the ball, so it sits up higher than on grass.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Clay courts are brushed and rolled to keep the surface level and the lines clear.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Green clay is made of crushed stone and is common in the United States, unlike European red clay.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Clay gives a little under the foot and lets players slide, which is gentler on the legs than a hard surface.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Clay takes pace off the ball, so a big serve gives the receiver more time than on a faster surface.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Clay plays slowest, hard courts are in the middle and grass is usually the fastest of the three.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

A player runs in, slides to a halt, hits and then pushes back out to recover.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

Slide marks on a reddish loose surface point to clay.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

The smooth blades give little grip, so the ball skids low and fast.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Constant running wears the grass away at the baselines, leaving bare, slippery patches.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Grass rewards a strong serve and quick net play because the ball stays low and fast.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Grass is mown short and rolled to keep it level and true.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Short steps keep a player balanced where footing is unreliable.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Playing on soaked turf is unsafe and damages it, so clubs keep it closed until it dries.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Grass produces the lowest bounce, clay the highest and hard court sits in between.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

The order from top to bottom is clay, hard court, grass.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

The turf is prepared and marked before play and given time to recover afterwards.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

Bare patches along the baselines are the classic sign of wear on a grass court.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

Hard courts are a painted acrylic coating on a concrete or asphalt base.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

A hard court gives a predictable bounce between the slow clay and the fast grass.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Hard surfaces absorb little impact, so the joints take more of the load.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Indoor courts commonly use synthetic carpet or acrylic surfaces.

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A roof and walls keep the weather out, so sessions can go ahead all year.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

Hard court lines are painted onto the surface. Wimbledon's grass is marked with a titanium-dioxide compound that is re-applied daily, and most clay courts use nailed-down tapes, although Roland Garros paints its lines by hand.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

A coloured court contrasts with the yellow ball, which makes it easier to follow.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · recall

An indoor court is never stopped by rain, a hard court dries fast and a grass court is the most vulnerable.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

A worn surface is cleaned and repaired first, recoated and then relined.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

Acrylic paint over concrete or asphalt marks a hard court.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

The rating describes how quickly a surface speeds or slows the ball.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

The ITF scale has five categories, from slow to fast.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

Category numbers rise with the Court Pace Rating, so a higher number is a faster surface.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

A ball is fired at the surface and its speed is measured before and after it bounces.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

Friction, energy restitution, topography and consistency all shape how a surface plays.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

The programme exists to help purchasers pick the type and speed of surface they want.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

Shoes with the right sole give grip and protect the feet on each surface.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

The test fires a ball, measures its speed around the bounce, calculates the rating and assigns a category.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · recall

A player identifies the surface first, picks suitable shoes, warms up on it and then plays.

Source: General tennis reference (court surfaces) · applied

The ITF scale runs 1 slow, 2 medium-slow, 3 medium, 4 medium-fast, 5 fast.

Source: ITF, Tennis surfaces classification (Court Pace Rating) · applied