Until the early 20th century, the game of Tennis was played on grass courts. However, wanting a surface that was more durable, required less maintenance and was easier on the players' bodies, contractors first came up with clay courts-which proved to be a major hit-and, more recently, artificial grass. For those old-fashioned players, however, natural grass is still a favorite. It is highly debated today which court is best for the centuries old game - clay, natural grass, or synthetic grass? You decide.
Clay Courts
Clay courts tend to be a favorite amongst tennis players because of the higher bounces that they allow. Clay courts cater to baseline players-players who wait for the bounce before hitting it back--as opposed to serve-and-volley players, who serve a swift ball to their opponent, then dash to the net to receive the ball so that they can hit it back before their opponent even receives the serve. Baseline players do extremely well on clay because they have the advantage of being able to volley back and forth for quite some time without tiring out; because of this, their game tends to be slower than grass court play. Whereas grass court play requires speed and stiff concentration, clay court play requires patience and stamina.
Though clay courts are favored by the players, they require a surprising amount of upkeep. They need to be raked and moisturized daily, and new clay needs to be added weekly, which can become quite expensive after a while.
Grass Courts
Grass courts are generally thought to be harder to play on. Because of the uneven surface, the bounces are bad, so grass court players tend to be excellent serve-and-volley players. Grass court play is fast moving, with much volleying involved. Because of this, grass players tend to dominate on any court, while clay court players either struggle on or opt out of grass court matches. Speed, power and concentration are the key components to doing well on a grass court.
However, though grass courts require more effort, they take a lot to maintain. Grass courts need to be cut 2-3 times a week, sidelines repainted fairly often and the grass re-seeded at least once a year. This type of maintenance is both time and cost consuming, and not many venues are willing to put in the work when there is an easier option.
A Happy Medium?
So if both clay and grass require more maintenance than it's worth, and at high costs, which is the best option? A lot of venues are now using artificial grass. By using synthetic grass, the cost and time it would take to maintain the courts are cut considerably. The turf is resistant to water, repels dirt and is user friendly. Unlike natural grass, the lines never have to be repainted and the blades never fade in color or grow sparse. Artificial grass also retains the same play characteristics, rain or shine, and so tennis can be played year round. Turf is the new happy-medium for both clay players and grass players alike, and may very well be Tennis's new future.
Biography:
Andrew Sullivan is the owner of Andyman Synthetic Turf Sunshine Coast, installers of maintenance free lawns to residents and businesses up and down the Sunshine Coast. The Australian owned and operated company installs artificial grass sunshine Coast residents admire with 0% interest free payment options available. Enquire with Andyman Synthetic Turf Sunshine Coast for more information regarding landscaping with artificial grass.
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