by Zeke Allen

Created on: May 04, 2009   Last Updated: May 09, 2009

One of the most fascinating aspects of the game of tennis is the different surfaces on which the game can be played. Whether it is grass or clay or hard-court, it changes everything from the strategies to the way the ball bounces, even to the point that certain players really focus on certain surfaces and certain tournaments because that style suits them better.

The first surface, stone, used was actually for what is called "real" tennis, and completely different from the game we know of today as tennis. This was played hundreds of years ago in amazing courts and particularly popular with royalty in France and England. Surfaces have changed to fit what was originally called "lawn" tennis though some "real" tennis courts still exist and folks still play it.

Grass courts were very common when people started playing tennis as we know it, but have quickly become rare as the costs and efforts associated with their maintenance have made clay and hard court surfaces more attractive for most clubs. Grass was one of the fastest surfaces which led to serve and volley players being more successful there as the ball didn't bounce as high and points were often decided on serves and quick winners. Though some have complained that Wimbledon purposely made their surface slower by using a new variety of grass and hardening the court further, it is still "slower" than the French or US Opens, played on clay and hard courts respectively.

Clay is a very common surface and comes in several colors, most commonly red or green. Because it creates greater friction between the ball and the surface, it slows the ball down and leads to higher bounces. This generally plays to the advantage of strong baseline players with lots of power and often leaves serve and volley folks out of luck. The "clay" itself is made of crushed shale or brick, the only major tour using clay courts currently is the French Open.

The last kind of outdoor surface is hard court, generally made of asphalt with a thick layer of paint on the top. The court's speed depends mainly on the quantity of sand mixed in with the paint that is then applied to the surface. This type of court is in between clay and grass in terms of speed and is generally considered the most "fair" as it doesn't particularly give the advantage to one type of player. The US and Australian Opens are both played on hard court.

There are a variety of surfaces used in indoor courts from rubber to astro turf to wood, though it is the most rare surface for tennis. Though it isn't the same as the variety in golf or Formula 1 racing circuits, the variety of courts really does provide different challenges and different styles that are fun to play on and fun to watch and a better understanding of them will make you a better player to boot!

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