The surface of the tennis courts is one of the most important variables of this sport, as it alters the conditions and the development of the matches in many factors.
In fact, even professional tennis players find it difficult to adapt and modify their game depending on the surface on which they are going to play.
It is no coincidence that Rafa Nadal is the king of clay courts, making history as the player with the most Roland Garros wins in history.
Therefore, it is essential that every player who is taking his first steps in this sport has very clear how the surface can change his game and how to take advantage of each of the features to exploit their strengths and uncover the weaknesses of the opponent.
This is because the Mallorcan tennis player gets the most out of the conditions of the clay court to tie up his opponents with his sharp defense, changes of pace and intense attacks.
what kind of tennis surfaces are there?
First of all, and before going into the surfaces, let’s review the measurements that a tennis court and the net must have.
The tennis court should be 23.78 meters long and 10.97 meters wide; with a space at the back of 3.65 meters, which should be extended to 4 meters in international tournaments; and a lateral space of 6.40 meters or 8 meters in the case of an international tournament.
As for the net, it must have a height of 0.914 meters at the center and 1.07 meters at the posts that support it; while it is suspended by a metallic cable of 0.8 meters in diameter covered by the white band on which the ball commonly hits and generates unpredictable situations.
Finally, we tell you that the net must have a length of 8.23 meters in singles matches and 10.97 meters for doubles matches.
Photo: todo-olimpiadas.com
And now, let’s go to the surfaces.
As for professional tennis, there are a total of three surfaces on which an ATP or WTA match can be played: hard court or cement, clay and grass.
Of course, each of them has its own characteristics and are even more popular in certain regions of the world than the others, so we will tell you all about them one by one.
Hard or cement court
These are the most popular tennis courts for amateurs, as they are the easiest to build and maintain and have the most durable material.
Tennis clubs and academies opt for this surface because it is the one that provides the most consistent bounces as it is completely flat.
Two Grand Slams are played on this surface every year: the Australian Open and the US Open.
Cement tennis courts are the surface par excellence in North America, being home to dozens of ATP tournaments on this type of court.
In addition, it is a court that allows for a much faster and offensive game, so it could be more attractive from the point of view of the show.
Thanks to the fact that the maintenance of concrete courts is much easier and cheaper than the previous ones, almost all camps have quite a few of them in their facilities. The IMG academy, the Nike camp in England and the Exsportise tennis camp have mainly concrete courts, where matches and training sessions are held.
how can I play better on hard courts?
The players who get the most out of the hard court are those who have good power in their strokes and are not used to playing very long sequences of points.
The bounce of the ball on this surface is fast and high, which allows you to hit winning shots from any part of the court with more ease and a higher percentage of success.
Also, take advantage of the shot angles and always try to hit the ball when it is at its highest point, this way you will have more openness and make your shots more difficult to reach and the opposing player will suffer more when returning them.
And of course, make the serve your best ally. A player with a good serve will considerably increase his percentage of points won with his serve on this surface.
The serve-volley combination can be extremely winning if you manage to close the points close to the net.
On the other hand, make sure you have shoes with good cushioning so that your ankles and knees don’t suffer too much.
As it is a robust court, you need your shoes to have a hard solethat can give you stability to change direction quickly and settle down when you hit your shots.
So now you know, try to have an aggressive game and rely on the power of your shots to be dominant on every point, as defensive play is not as effective on this surface.
Top stars on hard court
The undisputed owner of the cement court is Roger Federer, the top winner on this surface with more than 780 victories.
The hard court allowed Federer to take advantage of the precision of his forehand, the power of his backhand and the lethality of his volleys.
On the other hand, another star we should mention is Novak Djokovic, the king of Australia who has left his mark in history for the versatility of his game in attack and defense, reaping more than 600 victories.
And to go a little more retro, we must mention Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, two American geniuses who kept the North American country at the top of tennis.
Special mention to Andy Roddick, who delighted all fans with an absolutely spectacular serve.
Clay
Clay is a difficult surface to find outside the professional arena, although it is very much preferred in Spain; and as a sample we have the iconic Madrid Masters.
In addition, Spain is always represented by tennis players who perform very well on clay, such as the legendary Rafa Nadal, Juan Carlos Ferrero or Carlos Moya, just to mention a few.
Of course, the most popular tournament in the world on clay is the Roland Garros, held in Paris, France.
However, it is not a type of surface that is easily accessible to everyone, as it is expensive to maintain.
In addition to Spain, clay court tournaments are also often seen in South American countries such as Chile, Argentina or Brazil; not to mention other European countries such as Italy, home of the Monte Carlo and Rome Open.
In most of our camps in Spain you will be able to train on clay courts, the Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy has clay courts for the students. Another one that has mostly clay courts is the Mouratoglou Academy in France, one of the best in Europe.
what should I take advantage of clay courts?
Clay is the surface par excellence for defensive and long-distance players, those who do not base their game on power, but on their physical condition and leg speed.
To win a match on clay it is not enough to be faster than your opponent, you must also be smarter and have a good physical endurance.
A good strategy is to constantly change pace with your strokes and vary their effects, relying on topspin to try to get the opponent out of the court.
Slice shots are also a great option to make the bounce of the ball on the ground even more irregular, forcing the opponent to hit the ball as close to the ground as possible.
In addition, the dropshot becomes a lethal weapon in this type of match as it is favored by the low bounce of the ball and how difficult it is to start fast on this surface.
And of course, you have to learn how to glide on clay to get to the ball faster and change direction without any problem.
For this you will need shoes with a very good grip, in addition to having hard supports on their sides to withstand the friction of the court.
Their soles should have grooves that allow you to remove any dirt residue that may enter, as it can hinder your traction.
And, of course, make sure you tie the laces of your shoes properly because you’ll need a lot of stability in your ankles to support and strike.
Clay court stars
As mentioned above, Rafael Nadal ‘s numbers speak for themselves and make him the only king of clay with 14 Roland Garros titles to his name.
Watching Nadal on clay is art, the way he glides and the energy he puts into each point is a reflection of his intensity when playing, not giving any point for lost and taking advantage of the slightest mistake of the opponent.
In terms of victories, the Argentine Guillermo Vilas is the top winner on this surface with 681 victories, becoming an icon of the sport in the country.
It is also worth mentioning Manuel Orantes, who reached the finals of Roland Garros and Monte Carlo, in addition to winning in Rome and Hamburg, orchestrating a record of 569 victories.
Grass
Possibly the most complicated surface to find in the whole world due to all the care that it must have to be in optimal conditions.
With Wimbledon as its main exponent, grass tennis courts also give rise to a very fast game, although with somewhat irregular bounces depending on the state of the court.
Grass tennis courts are most often found in the United Kingdom, as they are also affected by the climatic factor for their maintenance.
In addition, the rubbing of the sole of the shoes also wears the court, modifying the bounce and the adherence of the shoes on the surface.
Because of all these cons, grass has become a classic surface to opt for in tournaments such as Queens, preparatory to Wimbledon; but it is really difficult to find in any other context.
Some tennis camps have 1 or 2 grass courts for training, but we will not find it in many occasions because the maintenance is complicated.
what should I do to play better on grass tennis courts?
Lawn tennis courts are the cradle of the traditional game of serve and volley, because the speed of the ball’s bite allows you to finish points quickly.
Your serve will be a lethal weapon if you manage to vary it enough, since you not only depend on the power in the first service, but you can play with the bounce of the surface to surprise.
As on clay, make the most of the backhand and drop shots, this will make the opponent have to concentrate much more on the bounce of the ball before impacting and will not allow him to plan and execute his moves well.
As for the shoes, you need them to have good grip to be able to have traction and change direction quickly.
However, it is necessary that the sole of the shoes is flat so that it does not damage the grass as you move on it.
Although at the end of the day, no matter the footwear, the surface always ends up getting damaged with use.
For this reason, this surface is only found at top-level professional academies in Europe and as a stage for international tournaments.
Tennis stars on grass
And we return again to Roger Federer, the greatest winner of Wimbledon tournaments in the history of tennis with 8 in total.
Another star of the grass is who follows Federer in the ranking, next to Pete Sampras, we are talking about Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian tennis player has all the odds in his favor to tie Roger’s record next year 2023, as long as his injuries let him.
On the women’s side, the Williams sisters and Germany’s Steffi Graf dominated the scene during their active period, setting a legacy for future players.
Indoor court and… under the sea?
Although this surface was discontinued by the ATP in 2009, some academies and amateur tennis clubs still have these courts.
These courts are synthetic covered and do not require extreme care, so they are preferred for all conditions. Surely you have already played a match between colleagues on one of these.
Photo: lopezdoriga.com
And yes, there is a project in Dubai to make tennis courts under the sea
Presented a few years ago already, the project of Polish architect Kotala Krzysztof Krzysztof consists of creating an underwater tennis complex.
The center will have 7 tennis courts with concrete courts under the waters bordering Dubai, with a capacity of 10,000 spectators.
The total investment of the project is estimated to be around 2 billion dollars, a real Middle Eastern economic barbarism.
how does a tennis court dry out?
Rain is the main enemy of tennis on all surfaces, as it completely alters the game and spoils the competition.
In addition, it alters the bounce of the ball on the court and it must be maintained to dry it and return it to its optimal state; and for this there are several methods.
Of course, the most popular method is to dry the court with towels or carpets. The downside is that you will need a lot of hands and effort to cover the entire length of the track.
When there is a lot of water, organizations rely on dryers, which are a kind of roller with a sponge, or directly on machines.
The Slamobonis, whose name comes from the ice polishing machines invented by Zamboni, drag and squeeze the surface and squeeze the water out into a tray.
In other slightly less orthodox methods, some also opt to set some areas of the court on fire, as happened at the Casablanca Open in Casablanca, Morocco in 2016.
Court Set Ablaze At ATP Challenger In Casablanca 2016
how much does the surface condition the tennis player’s game?
As discussed throughout the article, tennis surfaces greatly condition the tennis player’s game and strategy.
For example, a slow tennis court makes the bounces higher and slower, so the points will be longer and require more physical wear.
This, of course, favors long-distance and defensive players; therefore, they prefer clay courts over any other surface.
On the other hand, a fast, grass court shortens the points and favors players who are more accurate with their shots.
In addition, it forces players to move quickly around the court and have a good knee game to be aware of the height and direction of the opponent’s shots.
And finally, a hard and ultra-fast court provides a very high speed game in which serves, volleys and powerful shots in general gain more importance.
It reduces the reaction time between shots and forces you to think much faster in your next move, complicating its execution if you can not decide quickly.
But don’t worry, if you practice your game properly and combine the different tennis strokes to your set, you won’t have so much trouble adapting to the surfaces.
And if you need any kind of advice, remember that we have tennis camps around the world to help you get the most out of your game.
