Tennis
Tennis court surfaces compared: what are the differences?
Each tennis court surface comes with its own set of benefits and challenges, and where some players may have an advantage, others may struggle. Learn the key differences right here.
You’ve practiced your serves and spent hours on groundstroke and volley drills. Now, nothing can break your momentum on the court, right? Not so fast. The tennis court itself plays a huge role in how each game of your match goes.
The three surfaces played on are hard (indoor and outdoor), clay and, more rarely these days, grass. Read ahead for a guide to the surfaces, including their pros and cons, and which might be best for your tennis playing style.
Stefanos Tsitsipas hitting on a clay court
© Antoine Truchet/Red Bull Content Pool
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Grass tennis courts
Advantages of grass courts:
If speed is the goal, grass courts are the place to be. The slick surface of the eight-millimetre-high grass (an International Tennis Federation standard) is perfect for accelerating your tennis ball.
Historically, grass courts were the standard for quite some time. They were used at the U.S. Open until 1974 and the Australian Open until 1987. Today, though, Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tournament at which all matches are played on grass courts. That alone, though, makes grass courts worth adding to the surfaces on which you play tennis.
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on a grass court
© Mihai Stetcu/Red Bull Content Pool
Challenges of grass courts:
While you can get significant speed on a grass court, the biggest drawback is a lower bounce. If you’re playing on soft grass that hasn’t been manicured in a while, your ball is going to stay closer to the ground. Grass court maintenance can also be costly and time-consuming. Plus, if it rains, you’ll have to wait for the court to dry unless you want a very muddy game. This is one of the biggest reasons why all but one of the Grand Slam tournaments have transitioned away from grass courts.
Is grass right for you?
If you have a strong serve and you love to stay by the net, you may thrive on a grass court. The quick surface means points are usually earned at rapid speed, so grass courts favour big serving, attacking players (or serve and volleyers) over those with a more patient play style. Serve and volley means that you follow your serve in to the net and look to play your next shot up at the net and hit [volley] it away before the ball bounces on your side of the net.
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Clay tennis courts
Advantages of clay courts:
Grass courts may be faster than clay, but if you want a higher, slower bounce, you can’t beat the power of clay courts. The French Open has been hosting matches on courts made with this material since 1928. This type of tennis court consists of crushed stone, brick, or shale, and it’s the slowest surface you can play on.
Stefanos Tsitsipas serving on a clay court
© Antoine Truchet/Red Bull Content Pool
Clay is more abrasive than slick grass, so you’ll get more spin when your serves, volleys, or groundstrokes hit the ground on the other side. The slower gameplay also means your body doesn’t feel the impact of tennis balls on your racket quite as hard, so you can play longer. Plus, if the weather turns wet, you’re much less likely to slip.
Challenges of clay courts:
Clay courts may not have soil, but they still need a good amount of maintenance, including regular watering. Consistent care is essential to get that highly coveted clay court bounce. Without daily upkeep, the clay material dries out, wears down, and becomes difficult for safe, appropriately paced tennis matches.
Even with the best-maintained clay surface, you’ll have to bring your best game to the court – clay doesn’t just hand you easy winning points. You might need to use your top shots to land a point on this type of tennis court surface.
Is clay right for you?
Baseline players love a clay court. Put more simply, if you prefer sticking toward the line at the back of the court [the baseline], you’ll fare well on clay. If you like some distance and your groundstrokes are strong, clay courts could suit your style of play to a tee.
A clay tennis court usually makes for a longer game
© Alexander Schwarz/Red Bull Content Pool
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Hard tennis courts
Advantages of hard courts
Hard courts are made from synthetic layers placed on top of a concrete or asphalt foundation and they are far easier to maintain than 'living' surfaces grass and clay. Little upkeep is required and they pretty much look after themselves until resurfacing is required. A club or venue can tailor the speed of the hard surface to exactly what they require and playing conditions can vary markedly between different hard surfaces.
Outdoor and indoor hard courts vary in speed and bounce but the main advantage that the bounce is far truer and more consistent than grass or clay, thus eliminating bad bounces.
Indoor hard courts have the advantage of removing weather factors such as the obvious one of rain and also bright sunshine that can make serving tough outdoors, plus wind, which can play havoc to a tennis player's rhythm.
Challenges of hard courts
With the bad bounces taken out of the equation you get a truer match, so the challenge of a hard court is merely adapting to its pace and bounce. Once you've got that mastered you're good to go.
Outdoor hard courts still have the issue of being open to the elements and steady rain can make the surface slippery, so unless you're playing on an all-weather court the rain may stop play.
Another challenge of hard courts is the wear and tear on the body. This won't apply to the casual player, but pros that play predominantly on hard often find that the lack of give in the surface leads to more injuries than the natural and softer clay and grass courts.
Is hard the right surface for you?
35 of the 64 main level (ATP Tour and Grand Slams) are played on either outdoor or indoor hard and it's by far the most likely surface you'll play on these days, so a good hard court game is essential.
If the hard court you're playing on is on the quicker side, that tends to suit the bigger servers and power hitters, similarly to grass, but a slower, higher-bouncing surface (such as the ones at the Indian Wells Masters) can play more like clay, so favour the more patient play style.
Indoor hard courts make attacking tennis easier to play, with the sun and wind taken out of the equation, leading to more confidence in going for the lines, but speed of surface can vary significantly indoors as well, so once again court speed is a big factor.
Stefanos Tsitsipas on the distinctive blue courts of the Australian Open
© DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
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Choosing the right tennis court surface
Factors to consider:
Not sure whether hard, grass or clay is the best fit for you? Here are some things to consider as you make your decision.
- Level of experience. A high bounce is hard to control when you’re new to tennis. A grass or hard court could thus give you a leg up if you’re a beginner.
- Reaction time. The low bounce on a grass court means you have to act fast when the ball is coming your way. A clay court gives you more time to respond.
- Footwear. It’s not just the skills you bring to the court – it’s your equipment too, especially your choice of footwear. Clay, grass and hard courts have different levels of friction, and some shoes are designed for one type of court over the other. If you don’t have the right shoes for one type of court, you could fail to gain traction in your game.
- Personal preference. At the end of the day, it’s all about where you’re most comfortable. Maybe you need the low-impact forgiveness of a clay court, or maybe you prefer the lower bounce of grass courts, or the certainty of a hard court. Choosing a favourite type of court surface may hinge on reasons entirely unique to you.
Professional favourites
When you take a look at tennis icons’ favourite court surfaces, you realise just how much it’s not about which surface is better overall. Instead, it’s a matter of which surface is better for an individual player.
Pete Sampras is a great example. His powerful serve has helped earn him seven Wimbledon championship titles, but on the clay courts of the French Open, victory always evaded Sampras. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal has 14 French Open titles to his name – it’s no wonder he’s known as the 'King of Clay.'
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Grass vs. clay vs. hard: the choice is yours
When it comes to surfaces, it’s not a question of right or wrong but, instead, what’s right for you. Each court surface comes with its own set of benefits and challenges, and where some players may have an advantage, others may struggle.
The only way to find out which court surface works for you is to try all options and see how you feel. Even if you do favour one over another, it’s always good to have experience on all court surfaces. The more you can adapt to any kind of court, the better player you’ll be overall.