Tennis Courts

Tennis courts are rectangular in size and are usually made of clay, grass or some sort of hard surface. The court is 78 feet in length and is 27 feet in width when singles matches are played and 36 feet wide when doubles matches are played. The net that crosses the entire width of the court runs parallel to the baselines and is three feet and six inches high at each post and just three feet high at center court.

The best way to lay out courts is in a north south direction so they will not be influenced by the sun at dawn or dusk. The types of tennis courts vary as to where they are built due to weather conditions and available of products needed for the development. The three courts most often used are clay, grass and a variety of hard surfaces. Each surface is unique and the professional tennis circuit plays on all three surfaces.

Clay courts surfaces are made of crushed stone, shale or brick and the game is much slower when played on clay since a high bounce is produced on the surface. Serves are slowed down and the overall speed of the game is reduced. The majority of clay courts are found in Latin America and Europe. Grass courts make for the fastest surface where tennis is played. Bounces are not always true and points are much quicker on grass than on other surfaces. Hard surfaces are also very fast surfaces and give hard hitting players an advantage.