A tennis court is where the game called tennis is played. TeamBath is home to the family of sports based at the University of Bath, and is host England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Tennis is a sport played between two players ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles) It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center.
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Tennis is played on a rectangular flat surface, usually of grass, clay, concrete (hard court) or a synthetic suspended court. A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes Clover and other plants which are maintained at a low even height Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and Concrete is a construction material composed of Cement (commonly Portland cement) as well as other cementitious materials such as Fly ash and Slag The court is 78 feet (23. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 77 m) long, and its width is 27 feet (8. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 23 m) for singles matches and 36 feet (10. 97 m) for doubles matches. Additional clear space around the court is needed in order for players to reach overrun balls for a total of 60 feet wide and 120 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 (914 mm) high in the center.
The court on the right side of each player is called the deuce court, while the left side is called the ad court (short for "advantage court").
Types of tennis courts
There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and indoor courts (carpet, rubber or wood). Clay is a naturally occurring material composed primarily of fine-grained Minerals which show plasticity through a variable range of Water content, and A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with grass, and sometimes Clover and other plants which are maintained at a low even height Each playing surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game.
Of the Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open and Australian Open use hardcourts (though both used grass courts in the past, and the U. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important Tennis events of the year The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year 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. The French Open ( Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros or Tournoi de Roland-Garros) is a major Tennis tournament held over The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious
Hard courts
(All Weather Surfaces) Hard courts, usually made of concrete or asphalt, are considered "medium" to "fast" surfaces, where fast hard-hitting players have a slight advantage. Hard courts can vary in speed, but they are faster than clay and slower than grass courts, which allow the ball to slide. These courts are considered the most equal for all playing styles. The U.S. Open is played on DecoTurf, an acrylic hard court, while the Australian Open is played on a synthetic hardcourt Plexicushion, having previously used Rebound Ace. The US Open Tennis tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world first contested in 1881 DecoTurf is a Tennis hardcourt comprising layers of acrylic, Rubber, Silica, and other materials on top of an Asphalt or The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year Plexicushion is a tennis surface system made by Plexipave, a company based in Massachusetts, USA. Rebound Ace is a cushioned Tennis hardcourt comprising layers of Polyurethane Rubber, Fiberglass, and other materials on top of an
The main difference between a synthetic hardcourt and true hardcourt surface is the level of hardness. Synthetic hardcourts are normally softer, and feel more spongy. Consequently, when the ball bounces on this surface a large part of the ball's energy is absorbed by the surface and reduces its speed. On a hard surface the loss of energy is negligible because the surface provides less cushion to the bouncing ball. 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. For the fictional characters see Topspin (Transformers. In sports in particular Racquet sports ' topspin is a property of a shot where The extra grip/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.
The ITF classifies Novacrylic Combination Surface as a type two category (medium/medium fast) All weather tennis cout surface/hardcourt. The International Tennis Federation (ITF is the governing body of world Tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations
Grass courts
Grass courts are the fastest type of tennis court in common use (AstroTurf is faster but is primarily only used for personal courts). AstroTurf is a brand of Artificial turf. Though the term is a Registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, similar to golf greens, 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. Points are usually very quick where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, and the serve plays a more important role than on other surfaces. A point is the smallest unit of scoring in Tennis. Play of a single point The players (or teams stand on opposite sides of the net A serve (or more formally a service) in Tennis is a shot to start a point. Grass courts tend to favor serve-and-volley tennis players, such as John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and as of late, the dominant grass courter Roger Federer. Serve and volley is a style of play in Tennis where the player serving moves quickly towards the net after hitting a serve. John Patrick McEnroe Jr (born February 16 1959 is an American former World No Petros “Pete” Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is a former World No Roger Federer (ˈrɒdʒə ˈfɛdərər born August 8 1981 is a Swiss professional Tennis player who is currently ranked World No The most famous grass tennis court is Centre Court at Wimbledon. The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious 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 the ground. Grass courts were once among the most common tennis surfaces. However, due to high maintenance costs, grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed 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. A grass-court specialist is a Tennis player who excels on grass courts but does not perform to the same standard on hard courts clay courts or other surfaces
Indoor courts
Special surfaces can only be used indoors. Most commonly carpet surfaces, carpet courts vary in playing characteristics due to differences in thickness, texture, and materials used in the base and yarn. Suspended surfaces may be used indoors. The ATP tennis tour also considers rubber surfaces as carpet, such as that of the Paris Masters. The BNP Paribas Masters is an annual Tennis tournament for male professional players held in Paris, France. While being the most common surface for real tennis, wood is the rarest surface for tennis. Real tennis is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of lawn tennis or Tennis, is descended It is also the fastest surface, which bounces faster and lower than grass. There are many other types of indoor surfaces including artificial grass.
Clay courts
Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. A clay court is one of the four different types of Tennis court. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts, making it unique among the Grand Slam titles.
Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared to grass courts or hard courts. 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 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 South America than in North America. In the United States, courts made of green clay, also known as "rubico", are often called "clay," but are not made of the same clay used in most European and South American countries.
Terminology
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Middle 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
See also
External links
- Detailed court measurements
- Tennis Court Information Tennis court building tips
- List of U.S. tennis courts
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