Tennis courts can have one of four types of surfaces: hard, clay, grass or carpet. Of these, clay courts provide the best bounce for tennis balls. Clay courts are still used during the French Open, and six natural red clay courts, the Frick Park Clay Courts, have been used in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since the 1930s.
History
Clay courts were developed in Cannes, France, during the 1880s, when English brothers and tennis players William and Ernest Renshaw were trying to make a quick fix to their dried-out grass tennis court. They spread pulverized clay pots to refinish the surface.
Materials Used
Clay tennis courts are made with brick, stone and crushed shale, a mixture that provides tennis balls with the best bounce. Green and red are the two main types of clay tennis courts. Green courts are labeled American or Har-Tru and are used mainly in the United States, Canada and Britain. Red clay makes a tennis ball lose more speed than a green-clay court. Tennis players who excel at playing tennis on clay courts are labeled clay-court specialists; some famous ones include Thomas Muster, Gustavo Kuerten and Francesca Schiavone.
Upkeep
Maintaining a clay tennis court is important if tennis balls are to achieve the best bounce; upkeep requires attention to the effects of sun, rain and extreme temperatures. Each game played on a clay court wears on the surface; the courts must be given careful maintenance to avoid cracks and bumps that may be a risk for players in future matches. During tournaments, such as the ones held at the French Open, maintaining the clay courts is crucial, requiring up to 100 workers per day working with brooms and meshed drag mats to keep the courts smooth and clear of footprints, according to Jon Brand in "The Washington Post."
The Right Amount of Moisture
Water is used at the beginning and end of the day; the courts are covered through the night to prevent dryness. If it is raining, the task is to maintain the courts in a dry condition by covering them with tarps and using towels to absorb excess water. If the court becomes too wet, the only solution is to wait for the clay to absorb the moisture and for most of the water to evaporate, which can delay tennis matches. The correct moisture level is necessary for the court surface to provide proper bounce.
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