Tennis court surfaces are an important consideration when playing tennis. There are four main types of surfaces for tennis courts: clay, grass, hard, and carpet. Each surface has its own characteristics which makes it appropriate for different levels of play.

While there are four main types of court surfaces, the International Tennis Foundation (ITF) has broken down surface types as follows:

• Acrylic/Polyurethane: Textured, pigmented, resin-bound coating.
• Artificial clay: Sand-dressed and/or rubber-dressed surface with the appearance of clay.
• Artificial grass: Synthetic surface with the appearance of natural grass.
• Asphalt: Bitumen-bound aggregate.
• Carpet: Textile or polymeric material supplied in rolls or sheets of finished product.
• Clay: Unbound mineral aggregate.
• Concrete: Cement-bound aggregate.
• Grass: Natural grass grown from seed.
• Hybrid clay: Clay-dressed systems supported by a carpet matrix.
• Other: E.g. modular systems (tiles), wood, canvas.
  

Clay Tennis Courts

Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone, or brick.  The surface slows down the ball and produces a high bounce. The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that is played on a clay court.

Clay court maintenance includes rolling to preserve flatness, brushing the entire court after playing to remove debris, and balancing the clay’s water content.

Grass Tennis Courts

Grass courts are the fastest type of tennis court, consisting of grass grown on hard-pack soil.  When maintained properly, grass courts produce fast returns and low bounces. Wimbledon tournaments have always taken place on grass courts, while the Australian Open was played on grass courts prior to 1988, and US Open used grass courts up until 1974.

Once a common tennis surface, grass courts have become rare because of the amount of maintenance. They must be mown and watered often, and take a long time to dry compared to hard courts.

Hard Tennis Courts

Hard courts are made of uniform material, often covered with an acrylic surface layer. They are now by far the most common surface type for recreational courts, as they offer consistency and easy maintenance.

Hard courts can vary in speed, though they are faster than clay courts and slower than grass courts. The US Open and Australian Open both play on hard courts.

Carpet Tennis Courts

A carpet tennis surface is any removable court covering. Indoor courts often consist of rolls of rubber-backed court surfacings, which can be installed and removed for tennis events. Outdoor carpet courts include artificial turf. Carpet courts are generally faster than hard courts.

While convenient for temporary tennis events, carpet courts are not used for any major tournaments.

What surface do you like playing on the best? Let us know in the comments!