Clay court

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick, and can be either red or green. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru® "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts.

Clay courts are considered "slow", because the balls bounce relatively high and more slowly, making it more difficult for a player to hit an unreturnable shot. Points are usually longer as there are fewer winners. Therefore, clay courts heavily favor baseliners who are consistent and are generally more defensive.

Clay courters also favor the "full western grip" for more topspin. Clay courters generally play in a semi circle about 5 to 10 feet behind the baseline. They also use drop shots to throw off their opponents. Currently, the best clay court player is Rafael Nadal from Spain, who holds the men's record with 60 consecutive wins on clay courts with two French Open titles coming during his streak.

Although cheaper to construct than other types of tennis courts, and very traditional, maintenance costs are higher than those of hard courts, owing to the need for rolling to preserve flatness and the need to balance the clay's water content. Green (crushed Appalacian basalt) courts generally require the courts to be sloped to allow water run-off.[1]

1 Types of clay
- 1.1 Red clay
- 1.2 Green clay
2 Professional Tournaments Played on Clay
3 References

[edit] Types of clay

There are two different types of clay:

[edit] Red clay

Red clay is made of crushed brick that is packed to make the court, it is then covered with a topping of additional crushed particles. This surface is the most common in Europe and South America.

[edit] Green clay

Green clay is similar to red clay. Green clay is packed to make the subsurface, it is then covered with a topping. These clay courts are found in the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States. Green clay courts are often referred to as "rubico."