The game of tennis is played on a court, a rectangular (78 feet by 27 feet for singles matches, 78 feet by 36 feet for doubles matches) flat surface made of grass, clay or concrete. A net runs parallel with the baselines across the width of the court, dividing it into two equal sides. The net is 3 feet 6 inches high at the posts and 3 feet high in the center. Clay courts are termed "slow," implying that the balls lose speed as they hit the court and bounce relatively high, making it more difficult for a player to hit a non-returnable shot, called a winner. Hard and grass courts are considered "fast" surfaces, where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, giving powerful, hard-serving and hard-hitting players an advantage. On grass courts, bounces could depend on how healthy the grass is or how recently it has been mowed. Of the Grand Slam tournaments, the U.S. Open and Australian Open use hard courts while the French Open is played on clay. Wimbledon is played on grass. The court on the left of each player is called the ad court, and the right, the deuce court. Grass courts are the fastest and in games played here, points are usually very short, and the serve plays an important role. Grass courts are highly suitable for serve-and-volley players, as has been proved by the performances of John McEnroe or Martina Navratilova. Indoor courts are made of wood, cement or carpet that is also known as "Astroturf." |
