Fremen
Louie
Yinette PerezFremen's Guide to Tennis [Court Surfaces]
July 30th 2009 18:03
This is the second edition of my guide to tennis. This is made for the non fan, and has a very simplified explanation of all things tennis.
Court Surfaces
There are three basic courts:
Clay
Hard
Grass
As you can tell by my wonderful use of primary (and secondary) colors, clay is usually red, grass is usually green, and hard courts are usually blue. This said, green clay, blue clay, and green hard courts are also very common. I've also heard of Black clay, and hard courts that come in every color (orange, bright green, red, and even three different colors for World Team Tennis). The best way to tell is it get down on your knees and lick the court (j/k).
Ok, that would actually work out really well, but for reasons that don't need to be said, it's better to just touch them. Hard Courts will usually be asphalt or some sort of plastic that is (surprise!) hard to the touch. Grass will feel like dirt, and Clay has a little layer of dust on the top.
Seriously, it's not hard at all to distinguish them.
Click on this if you like reading Wiki pages more than me. (It'll have more detail, references, and no fun.)
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Clay Courts
(click on the title!)
These courts are the classically colored "red" courts. The French Open (Roland Garros) is traditionally associated with this. Other famous tournaments on Clay include Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and a number of South American Tournaments like Vina Del Mar. *You'll find that since Tournaments are always switching sponsorship, it's easier to refer to them by location.*
Most courts are made from brick because literal clay courts, like those of the olden days take too long to dry out. You'll find these are usually red. The "American" clay courts are green in color.
Clay courts are defined as "Slow courts". This is because the ball bounces higher, and bounces slower than it would on a hard court. Because of this high bounce, players that use a LOT of topspin, like Nadal and Federer are at an advantage, since they force players to constantly hit tiring shoulder-level shots.
Clay is unique because of the movement. It is actually (all too) possible, and necessary to slide on clay. This sliding comes naturally to players that have played on clay from a young age. Because of this, these players are at a natural advantage on clay. I would tell you what a "clay court specialist" is like Wikipedia, but unlike Wiki, I believe in the intelligence of the people that read this.
Another unique thing about the clay is that the ball leaves a mark on the ground, making the use of shot tracking devices...well...useless. That means that this'll never happen or matter on clay.
The best Clay Court specialists of all time include the recently retired Gustavo Kuerten, legend Bjorn Borg, classic Rene Lacoste, and current Clay Champion Rafael Nadal (he still has more than Federer).
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Hard Courts
(OMG Click on that too!)
Now, here is where you can see the difference between me and the Wiki monstah (I'm from Boston, that's how we say it).
Basically, there are two types of hard courts, asphalt, and acrylic hybrid courts of all types. The Australian Open and the US Open play on Hard Courts.
The most common hard court you'll see is just plain asphalt. This is the variety, indoor and outdoor that I was raised on, and it's where I am comfortable, like many, many tennis players around the US. Neither the US Open, nor the Australian Open use this.
The US Open uses this.
Until recently, the Australian Open used this, but then they switched to this.
To be honest, pretty much only the pros would notice, or care so much about these changes, since tennis is such a precise sport (less precise than Billiards/Pool or golf, but more than, say, Hockey or Basketball).
The most interesting thing for me about hard courts is that many players still manage to slide on it, since they are so athletic, and move so quickly.
The best hard courters of all time are much harder to define, since almost all the greats were good on it. Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi are three recent greats.
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Grass
(you should know by now...)
The oldest and most traditional of the tennis surfaces. Once upon a time, 3 of the opens were held on this surface, then two of them upgraded to most consistent ones. For a long time, grass courts played quickly but they are known as "Slow courts". The grass at Wimbledon is actually getting slower every year. The courts used to give the advantage to serve and volley-ers who would come in on every single point. This has recently given way to baseline grass court play, which makes for a more well rounded and interesting match.
One problem with grass is that sometimes it's slippery. If you want a great example of a professional demonstrating how slippery these courts are, just watch Djokovic's first match of the Wimbledon this year. The year before, he complained about his shoes being too slippery, and it seemed like the problem persisted. Obviously, this affects other players, but Djokovic is a very good digger and almost never loses his balance on any surface. His slipping at this year's Wimbledon opening round surprised me, but after that dreadful first round, his foot work looked (as they say in England) dapper.
Currently, Wimbledon is one of the only tournaments played on grass, and certainly is the most important. Federer, Borg, Sampras, Agassi, McEnroe and Connors all found Wimbledon to be one of their best stages.
If you want to read more about the more obscure surfaces like carpet, go somewhere else. Honestly, I'm not even willing to give it time of day. (take that carpet fans!)
Court Surfaces
Nadal vs. Federer on Grass-Clay Court
There are three basic courts:
Clay
Hard
Grass
As you can tell by my wonderful use of primary (and secondary) colors, clay is usually red, grass is usually green, and hard courts are usually blue. This said, green clay, blue clay, and green hard courts are also very common. I've also heard of Black clay, and hard courts that come in every color (orange, bright green, red, and even three different colors for World Team Tennis). The best way to tell is it get down on your knees and lick the court (j/k).
Ok, that would actually work out really well, but for reasons that don't need to be said, it's better to just touch them. Hard Courts will usually be asphalt or some sort of plastic that is (surprise!) hard to the touch. Grass will feel like dirt, and Clay has a little layer of dust on the top.
Seriously, it's not hard at all to distinguish them.
Click on this if you like reading Wiki pages more than me. (It'll have more detail, references, and no fun.)
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Clay Courts
(click on the title!)
Guillermo Coria and Carlos Moya on the signature red Clay Courts of the French Open
These courts are the classically colored "red" courts. The French Open (Roland Garros) is traditionally associated with this. Other famous tournaments on Clay include Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, and a number of South American Tournaments like Vina Del Mar. *You'll find that since Tournaments are always switching sponsorship, it's easier to refer to them by location.*
Most courts are made from brick because literal clay courts, like those of the olden days take too long to dry out. You'll find these are usually red. The "American" clay courts are green in color.
Clay courts are defined as "Slow courts". This is because the ball bounces higher, and bounces slower than it would on a hard court. Because of this high bounce, players that use a LOT of topspin, like Nadal and Federer are at an advantage, since they force players to constantly hit tiring shoulder-level shots.
Clay is unique because of the movement. It is actually (all too) possible, and necessary to slide on clay. This sliding comes naturally to players that have played on clay from a young age. Because of this, these players are at a natural advantage on clay. I would tell you what a "clay court specialist" is like Wikipedia, but unlike Wiki, I believe in the intelligence of the people that read this.
Another unique thing about the clay is that the ball leaves a mark on the ground, making the use of shot tracking devices...well...useless. That means that this'll never happen or matter on clay.
The best Clay Court specialists of all time include the recently retired Gustavo Kuerten, legend Bjorn Borg, classic Rene Lacoste, and current Clay Champion Rafael Nadal (he still has more than Federer).
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Hard Courts
(OMG Click on that too!)
Andre Agassi serving to Pete Sampras at the Australian Open
Now, here is where you can see the difference between me and the Wiki monstah (I'm from Boston, that's how we say it).
Basically, there are two types of hard courts, asphalt, and acrylic hybrid courts of all types. The Australian Open and the US Open play on Hard Courts.
The most common hard court you'll see is just plain asphalt. This is the variety, indoor and outdoor that I was raised on, and it's where I am comfortable, like many, many tennis players around the US. Neither the US Open, nor the Australian Open use this.
The US Open uses this.
Until recently, the Australian Open used this, but then they switched to this.
To be honest, pretty much only the pros would notice, or care so much about these changes, since tennis is such a precise sport (less precise than Billiards/Pool or golf, but more than, say, Hockey or Basketball).
The most interesting thing for me about hard courts is that many players still manage to slide on it, since they are so athletic, and move so quickly.
The best hard courters of all time are much harder to define, since almost all the greats were good on it. Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Andre Agassi are three recent greats.
----------------------------- -----------------------------
Grass
(you should know by now...)
Federer getting ready to serve at Wimbledon.
The oldest and most traditional of the tennis surfaces. Once upon a time, 3 of the opens were held on this surface, then two of them upgraded to most consistent ones. For a long time, grass courts played quickly but they are known as "Slow courts". The grass at Wimbledon is actually getting slower every year. The courts used to give the advantage to serve and volley-ers who would come in on every single point. This has recently given way to baseline grass court play, which makes for a more well rounded and interesting match.
One problem with grass is that sometimes it's slippery. If you want a great example of a professional demonstrating how slippery these courts are, just watch Djokovic's first match of the Wimbledon this year. The year before, he complained about his shoes being too slippery, and it seemed like the problem persisted. Obviously, this affects other players, but Djokovic is a very good digger and almost never loses his balance on any surface. His slipping at this year's Wimbledon opening round surprised me, but after that dreadful first round, his foot work looked (as they say in England) dapper.
Currently, Wimbledon is one of the only tournaments played on grass, and certainly is the most important. Federer, Borg, Sampras, Agassi, McEnroe and Connors all found Wimbledon to be one of their best stages.
If you want to read more about the more obscure surfaces like carpet, go somewhere else. Honestly, I'm not even willing to give it time of day. (take that carpet fans!)
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