Though naturally not as diverse as golf with its disparate courses, tennis offers players different challenges depending on court type.
There are four main court categories: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpets. Each court type offers players different challenges based on ball speed and bounce, as well as player movement and degradation of the surface.
Grass Courts
Some think that grass court tennis is the essence of the sport, and we’d find it hard to disagree. That’s especially true of tennis fans from the UK, grass court tennis evoking memories of Wimbledon’s past.
Grass courts are the fastest tennis courts on the circuit. The ball can skid, leading to a low bounce which makes for aggressive play and lots of play from the baseline. These are some of the main characteristics of grass tennis courts:
- Pros: A unique experience, rare on the circuit and providing great pace.
- Cons: Hard for those with a slower game, weather influenced.
- Material: Natural grass with a soil underlay.
As well as real grass, artificial grass is occasionally used in tennis. It does have some benefits too, such as being softer than other synthetic course like hard courts. This makes it more forgiving on the joints.
With this in mind, artificial grass is most likely to be used instead of another synthetic court, rather than replacing real grass. In comparison to turf, it is less slippery which is advantageous to players in terms of injury prevention.
Major Grass Court Tournaments
Naturally, the professional grass court season is pretty short. In fact, a decade ago the grass court season was made up only of Wimbledon, the fortnight of British and European tournaments leading to it and one tournament in Rhode Island, USA.
It has since been extended, these being the major professional tournaments on the grass court tour:
- Stuttgart Open (ATP, Germany)
- Nottingham Open (WTA, UK)
- Queens Club Championships (ATP, London, UK)
- Grass Court Championships (WTA, Berlin, Germany)
- Birmingham Classic (WTA, Birmingham, UK)
- Eastbourne International (APT & WTA, Eastbourne, UK)
- Mallorca Championships (ATP, Santa Ponsa, Spain)
- Wimbledon (ATP & WTA, London, UK)
- Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (Newport, USA)
Clay Courts
There are some green clay courts, but by far and away the most famous are the familiar red clay courts used for lots of professional tournaments. Hardly any of today’s clay courts are made up of natural clay. Instead, most are made from crushed brick packed in to make the court. Clay courts are most common in Europe, as well as in South America. The colour can differ slightly from place to place, depending on the type of bricks used.
The modern clay courts are better for the sport owing to their drainage capacity. Natural clay courts can take up to three days to dry after heavy rain. Clay courts offer a high bounce and are slow, much slower than grass, giving players lots of time to move into position and react to shots.
- Pros: Good for baseline play, stronger players being able to dictate rallies.
- Cons: Not good for quicker players, also needs lots of maintenance.
- Material: Crushed brick or stone (occasionally natural clay).
Major Clay Court Tournaments
In terms of how busy the clay court season is, it sits somewhere between the short grass court and longer hard court seasons. These are some of the clay court seasonal highlights:
- Barcelona Open (ATP, Barcelona, Spain)
- Madrid Open (ATP & WTA, Madrid, Spain)
- Italian Open (ATP & WTA, Rome, Italy)
- French Open (APR & WTA, Paris, France)
Hard Courts
Hard courts can be played outdoors or indoors. This is a surface which offers great versatility and is used all around the world at various levels. Hard courts offer a consistent bounce. This means a nice balance between control and speed, a natural midway point between the characteristics of clay courts and grass courts. Two of the four Grand Slam tennis events are played on hard courts (see below).
These are some of the main attributes of hard courts:
- Pros: Affordable, low maintenance, offers consistency in play.
- Cons: At speed, balls can bounce higher leading to more precision needed with shots.
- Material: Acrylic top, coating a concrete or asphalt base.
Major Hard Court Tournaments
Hard courts are the most frequently used on the tour, both indoors and outdoors. That being the case, there are hundreds taking place throughout the year, these being among the most important:
- Australian Open (ATP & WTA, Melbourne, Australia)
- Indian Wells Open (APT & WTA, Indian Wells, USA)
- US Open (ATP & WTA, New York, USA)
- Paris Open (ATP, Paris, France)
- Cincinnati Open (ATP & WTA, Cincinnati, USA)
- Dubai Tennis Championships (WTA, Dubai, UAE)
Other Court Types
Though not linked to ‘lawn tennis’ as such, Real Tennis is where this sport has its origins. Real Tennis is played within a closed court, much like squash, using a hard ball. Another court type is carpet. This is not to be confused with artificial grass, though both are of course synthetic courts. Artificial grass mimics the look and feel of grass, while carpet courts are made from tufted or needle-punched carpeting textile materials.
Carpets are one of the fastest courts, just behind grass in terms of speed though there is still a high bounce. Carpet courts can be portable, but while they still have a place in the wider game they were discontinued on the professional tour back in 2009.