If you are a tennis fan and actually play yourself, you may well have experienced a game on a clay court. This is the very old, red surface that has been used in countries like France and Spain since the game originated.
There is no other surface quite like clay to have a game of tennis on. The strong red color is very attractive and literally makes tennis a whole different ball game!
We are all fascinated by both its appearance and the way that red clay changes the game of tennis. Here are a few snippets of information that you may not already know.
This surface lends itself more to those that play from the baseline, as opposed to those who serve and volley. A great clay court player must have impeccable ground strokes.
If you do ever see a player approach the net while playing on clay, it is a very rare thing indeed. Those who rely on their booming serve will also find that it hasn't the effect on this surface as it does on others.
If you weren't aware already, clay is a very thick compound. It is the thickest of all the surfaces and instead of the ball hitting the surface and then speeding up, the clay slows it down.
Where as on other surfaces such as hard courts the ball skids along the surface at speed, on clay courts it is slowed right down by the thickness of the surface.
So the ball is slower and as a result bounces a lot higher. This means your opponent has longer to reach the ball and return it, thus making the game go on for longer. Some matches on clay have literally gone for hours.
The matches are made so much longer by the length of the rallies, where the spectators frequently begin to count the strokes out loud after they have gone over 10.
Speed is the key on clay, to reach the ball early while it is still on the rise and put it away thanks to a thumping ground stroke.
There is no other surface quite like clay to have a game of tennis on. The strong red color is very attractive and literally makes tennis a whole different ball game!
We are all fascinated by both its appearance and the way that red clay changes the game of tennis. Here are a few snippets of information that you may not already know.
This surface lends itself more to those that play from the baseline, as opposed to those who serve and volley. A great clay court player must have impeccable ground strokes.
If you do ever see a player approach the net while playing on clay, it is a very rare thing indeed. Those who rely on their booming serve will also find that it hasn't the effect on this surface as it does on others.
If you weren't aware already, clay is a very thick compound. It is the thickest of all the surfaces and instead of the ball hitting the surface and then speeding up, the clay slows it down.
Where as on other surfaces such as hard courts the ball skids along the surface at speed, on clay courts it is slowed right down by the thickness of the surface.
So the ball is slower and as a result bounces a lot higher. This means your opponent has longer to reach the ball and return it, thus making the game go on for longer. Some matches on clay have literally gone for hours.
The matches are made so much longer by the length of the rallies, where the spectators frequently begin to count the strokes out loud after they have gone over 10.
Speed is the key on clay, to reach the ball early while it is still on the rise and put it away thanks to a thumping ground stroke.
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