What Are The Tennis Surfaces?

The different types of tennis surfaces have a big impact on how a tennis match is played. Here’s a guide to the most common tennis surfaces.

Hard Court

Hard court is the most common type of surface in tennis. It is made of concrete, asphalt, or a combination of these materials. Hard courts offer a consistent bounce and are the fastest surface.

DecoTurf

One of the most common surfaces in professional tennis, DecoTurf is a fast-paced, medium-paced hard court surface. Originally developed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), DecoTurf is made up of several layers of acrylic, urethane binder, and cushioned sub-base. The result is a consistent playing surface that provides good footing and a medium pace of play. Many top-level tournaments, including the U.S. Open and Cincinnati Masters, are played on DecoTurf courts.

Plexicushion

Plexicushion is a “hard” tennis court surface developed and patented by ACRYLITE. It has been used as the DecoTurf surface of the U.S. Open since 1978. Plexicushion is a three-layer system composed of a base layer, a shock-absorbing layer, and an acrylic-resin wearing course.

Grass Court

Of the four Grand Slams, Wimbledon is the only one played on grass. Grass courts are the traditional playing surface for tennis. They are made of short grass that is evenly cut and well-maintained. This type of court offers little traction, so players must be careful not to slip. Grass courts are also very slippery when they are wet.

Bentgrass

Bentgrass is a straight-to-wavy grass that grows well in shady areas. It has strong surface roots that help keep it from getting pulled up by the ball. Because of this, it is one of the slower-playing surfaces.

Bentgrass courts are common in the northeast United States, where the climate is too cool for Bermuda grass to grow well. The Wimbledon Championships are played on bentgrass, as are most of the tournaments leading up to it.

Ryegrass

Ryegrass courts are the fastest type of grass court. They have very tight sward density with short, low-lying grass. The low-cut nature of the grass means that the surface plays very fast, and balls bounce relatively low. This combination of factors makes it difficult to play attacking tennis on ryegrass. The best players in the world, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have historically struggled on this surface.

Clay Court

Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The French Open is played on clay. The benefits of playing on clay are that the ball bounces higher and slower, giving the player more time to react. The downside is that the courts are slow, so players need to be very fit in order to compete.

Har-Tru

Har-Tru is a type of clay court. It is green in color and is made of crushed shale. Har-Tru courts are very popular on the Professional Tennis Association (PTA) circuit. They are slower than red clay courts, but provide a good amount of bounce. Har-Tru courts are also easy on the joints, making them a good choice for players with injuries.

Red Clay

Red clay, also known as terre battue, is the slowest and most physically demanding surface. It is made of crushed brick and is unique in that the powdery clay rubs off on players’ shoes and clothing, which then stains anything it comes into contact with (including white tennis balls). The coloring agent used in red clay is called iron oxide, which is also what gives it its slow pace. Because of its slower speed, red clay requires players to use a lot of topspin to keep the ball in play. This surface also tends to produce high bouncing balls, making it difficult for players to hit winning volleys. Because of its demanding pace and the need for topspin, red clay is often considered the most challenging surface to play on.