A tennis court
is where the game of tennis
is played. It is a firm rectangular surface
with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be
used to play both doubles and
Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually of grass
(hard court) or a synthetic suspended
court. The court is 78 feet
) long, 39 feet on a side. Its width is 27
feet (8.23 m) for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 m) for doubles
matches. The service line is 21 feet from the net. Additional clear
space around the court is needed in order for players to reach
overrun balls for a total of 60 feet (18.3 m) wide and 120 feet
(36.7 m) long. A net is stretched across the full width of the
court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal
ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 m) high at the posts, and 3
feet (0.914 m) high in the center.
An approximate North/South orientation is desirable to avoid the
effects of low sun during evening play.
Types of tennis courts
- See also: Tennis#Surface
There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used
for the court surface: clay
courts and indoor courts (carpet,
rubber or wood). Each playing surface has its own characteristics
which affect the playing style of the game.
Grand Slam tournaments, the
U.S. Open and Australian Open use hardcourts (though both used grass courts in
the past, and the U.S. Open also used clay courts from 1975 through
1977), the French
Open is played on clay (though it too was played on
grass before 1928), and Wimbledon is played on grass.
Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The red clay
is slower than the green, Har-Tru, "North-American" clay. The
French Open uses clay courts, unlike the other three Grand Slam
tournaments of each year.
Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when
compared to grass courts or hard courts. This is because clay
courts have more grab and when the ball lands there is more
friction pushing against the ball's horizontal path, therefore
slowing it and creating a higher bounce. For this reason, the clay
court takes away some advantage of big serves, which makes it hard
for serve-based players to dominate on the surface.
Although clay courts are more traditional and cheaper to construct
than other types of tennis courts, the maintenance costs of a clay
surface are higher than those of hard courts. Clay courts need to
be rolled to preserve flatness. The clay's water content must be
balanced; green courts generally require the courts to be sloped to
allow water run-off.
Clay courts are more common in Europe and Latin America than in
North America and tend to heavily favor baseline players.
Grass courts are the fastest type of courts in common use (AstroTurf
is faster but is primarily only used for
personal courts). They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed
soil, which adds an additional variable: bounces depend on how
healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mown, and the wear
and tear of recent play. Point
usually very quick where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, and
plays a more important role
than on other surfaces. Grass courts tend to favor serve-and-volley
tennis players, such as
and Pete Sampras
among men and Martina Navratilova
Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., comprises grass courts.
The surface is less
firm and more slippery than hard courts, causing the ball to slide
and bounce lower, and so players must reach the ball faster. Serve
and volley players take advantage of the surface by serving the
ball (usually a slice serve because of its effectiveness on grass)
and then running to the net to cut off the return of serve, leaving
their opponent with little time to reach the low-bouncing,
fast-moving ball. Players often hit flatter shots to increase power
and allow the ball to travel faster after and before the ball hits
However, Wimbledon, the most famous grass tournament, slowed down
its grass courts as recently as 2001. Players have said that the
courts of Wimbledon have become slower, heavier, and high bouncing.
Wimbledon organizers had changed the grass to 100% perennial
rye in addition to changing to a harder and denser soil with both
providing for a higher bounce to the ball.
, spoke out against this change
in 2002, stating "What on earth is going on here? I'm on a grass
court and it's the slowest court I've played on this year". As a
result, serving and volleying has become rare at Wimbledon and
dominant baseliners such as Roger
have won the most recent titles.
Grass courts were once among the most common tennis surfaces, but
are now rare due to high maintenance costs, as they must be watered
and mown often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard
courts. For a more extensive discussion of the skills most
advantageous on grass court, see grass-court specialist
Hard courts (usually made of asphalt) are very fast types of tennis
courts, where fast hard-hitting players have a slight advantage.
Hard courts can vary in speed; they are faster than clay but not as
fast as grass courts. Depending on the amount of sand added to the
paint the amount the ball slows down can vary greatly. These courts
are considered the most equal for all playing styles. The U.S. Open is played on an acrylic hard court, while the
Open is played on a synthetic hard court.
difference between a synthetic hard court and a true hard court
surface is the level of hardness. When the ball bounces on this
surface it is faster than all other surfaces if there is not much
sand in the top paint. The amount of sand used in the top paint and
the size of the sand also determines the speed – more sand means
less speed and larger sand particles will slow the speed of play.
The amount of friction can also be altered and more friction will
produce a clay court effect, where topspin
is magnified. The extra grip and friction will resist the sliding
effect of the ball and the resistance will force the ball to change
its rotation. The extra grip provided by the surface can resist the
movement of the player and can cause injury.
Specialized surfaces target varied needs. Carpet courts that are
designed to be cushioning may only be suitable for indoor use.
Low-maintenance options, such as plastic tiles, are good for both
indoor and outdoor use. Wood is rarely used for tennis courts,
perhaps because it makes the balls too fast to return. (See
Play and Stay
aims to increase tennis participation
worldwide, by improving the way starter players are introduced to
the game. The campaign promotes to play in smaller courts with
slower red, orange and green balls that give players more time and
control so that they can serve, rally and score (play the game)
from the first lesson.
Common tennis court terms:
- Ad court (short for "advantage court"): the left side
of the receiving team, the right side of the opponent's court as
viewed from the server's side, significant as the receiving side
for an Ad point.
- Alley (Tramlines): the zone between the single court
and the doubles court, one on the Ad side, one on the Deuce side.
These are only used when playing doubles.
- Back court ('No man's land'): the area between the
baseline and the service line. It is not recommended to play in
this area because this is where balls usually bounce.
- Baseline: The line dividing the "out" area from the
"in" area made up of the back line of the back court and the small
back side of the alleys.
- Center line: The line dividing the two service
- Center mark: The 12-inch mark at the halfway point of
the baseline used to distinguish the two halves (and service boxes)
of a tennis court.
- Deuce court: the right side of the receiving team, the
left side of the opponent's court as viewed from the server's side,
significant as the receiving side for a deuce point.
- Middle T: See T.
- Service box: is made up of the singles boundary and
the closest line that runs parallel with the net. There is a left
and right service box that is divided by the line running down the
center of the court.
- Service line: the line that is parallel to the net and
is located between the baseline and the net. It marks the end of
the service boxes.
- Side T: The T shape formed by the service line and the
sideline. There are two such side Ts.
- T or Middle T: The T shape formed by the
service line and the center line.
- Rules of tennis
Play and Stay