Tennis Court Surfaces FAQ

What is meant by a "fast" tennis court surface?
The faster a surface, the smaller a decrease in the ball's horizontal velocity it causes: the bounce slows the ball less in its forward motion. The ball generally bounces lower on faster surfaces, but some exceptions occur with certain spins and trajectories.
 
What is meant by a "slow" surface?
The slower a surface, the larger a decrease in the ball's horizontal velocity it causes: the bounce slows the ball more in its forward motion. The ball generally bounces higher on slower surfaces, but some exceptions occur with certain spins and trajectories.
 
What is the fastest court surface?
Of the common court surfaces, grass is fastest. Some uncommon indoor surfaces such as wood are faster.
 
What is the slowest court surface?
Red and green clay are close contenders for the title of slowest court surface. Despite red clay's reputation as the slowest surface, some research gives green clay the slight edge.
 
What type of player does better on a fast surface?
Fast court surfaces favor big servers and serve-and-volley players. Shorter strokes are easier than longer strokes to execute on a fast surface.
 
What type of player does better on a slow surface?
Slow court surfaces favor baseliners, especially those with long strokes and/or a game based on consistency.
 
What is red clay made of?
Red clay can be natural or, as at the French Open, made of crushed brick mixed with rubber and other materials.
 
What is green clay made of?
The most common type of green clay, of which Har-Tru is an example, is made of crushed stone. Synthetic green clays include a mixture of stone, rubber, and plastics.
 
What are hard courts made of?
The most common base for a hard court is asphalt; second is concrete. The asphalt or concrete is usually coated with some cushioning material, ranging from multiple, rubberized layers to just a thin sealer and special paint.
 
What is Har Tru?
Har Tru is a very popular brand of "green clay" court surfacing material made of dark gray-green, crushed stone.
 
What is Rebound Ace?
Used at the Australian Open, Rebound Ace is a cushioned hard court made of many layers of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt base.
 
What is a carpet tennis court?
Carpet courts vary in playing characteristics due to differences in thickness, texture, and materials used in the base and yarn. Most types of carpet are used indoors, but some synthetic grass carpets are used both indoors and out.
 
How does playing on grass change the game?
The bounces on grass are low, fast, and somewhat unpredictable, so serve-and-volley players, who are good at avoiding letting the ball bounce, have an advantage. Slice shots are more effective on grass than on other surfaces, because the skidding effect of a good slice drive is enhanced by the low bounce. Faster serves skid forward, making them harder to return, but kick serves don't kick as well, making them easier to return.
 
Which court surface is easiest on the legs?
Clay courts are generally easiest on the legs because of their softness, but they do cause some strain from the slight slipping whenever you push off or change direction. Grass courts are also fairly soft, but they usually cause more injuries due to their greater slipperiness.
 
Which court surface is easiest on the arm?
Hard courts give by far the most predictable bounce, which reduces mis-hits that would send powerful shocks to the arm. Clay courts give players more time to prepare each shot, but they also usually require more shots to be hit per point. Overall, hard courts should cause the least arm stress per match.
 
Are there special shoes for each court surface?
Special shoes with little bumps on the sole are made for the slippery grass courts, but many players just use their regular shoes as they do on clay and hard courts. Most clay-court clubs require players to wear shoes with relatively fine treads, because the deeper treads on some athletic shoes would chew up the court surface.

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