Tennis court coverings. Designing tennis courts What is the name of the tennis court surface 4 letters

Maintaining and developing the body through sports is becoming increasingly important in our lives. Its popularization in cinema and television played a role, and was partly influenced by a change in social paradigms. Tennis found its niche back in the seventies of the twentieth century. Since then, people have enjoyed training and improving their skills in this sport.

Today, tennis players around the world have many options to choose from: what surface to play on, what accessories to use. Most tennis players have their own specialization, adapting to a specific type of surface. Each of them influences the overall style of play and the formation of specific skills. At the same time, “all-round athletes” who can play on different courts without losing the quality of their game are incredibly valued.

Classifications of tennis courts

First of all, tennis courts are divided according to their location: fresh air or indoors. Each has its pros and cons, which we will discuss further.

Outdoor courts

This type of tennis courts is not equipped with a roof, but is located in the open air on a piece of land. It is impossible to say for sure which type of sports court has greater advantages - outdoor or indoor. Both have their fans and detractors. After all, many especially important tennis tournaments are held on open courts: Roland Garosse, Australian Open and others.

playing in nature increases a person’s overall tone and saturates the blood with oxygen;
the cost of arranging the court will be much lower;
renting an open area is cheaper;
professional athletes learn to adapt to weather vagaries that can interfere with important competitions;
wide selection of coating types;
Beginners can practice on clay courts, whose arrangement in indoor halls is undesirable.

The disadvantages are:

the property is clearly seasonal – it will be very difficult to play in winter;
players are exposed to atmospheric influences: strong wind, bright sunlight, cold rain;
It is more difficult to maintain such sites, since they are affected not only by the aggressiveness of the athletes’ play, but also by the vagaries of the weather: the wind sweeps the soil layer towards the fence, it is necessary to remove debris flying from trees and bushes; Weeds also appear in natural surfaces, such as grass and soil; they are carefully weeded out or treated with herbicides.

Indoor courts

These are specialized premises that are most often built in sports complexes. The previous type of court is more popular among private cottage owners for the improvement of various boarding houses, hotels and entertainment centers for country holidays. Closed spaces provide an opportunity professional athletes have access to the training facility around the clock, regardless of any situation.

Pros:

you can play at any time - there is no attachment to the warm season;
there is no influence of weather anomalies that could create a problem in the open variety sports facility;
high-quality constant lighting;
a well-thought-out ventilation and climate control system - this allows you not to suffer from overheating during the hot season; in the open version there are no such amenities.

Minuses:

the amounts spent on the construction of such a court are much higher than for the construction of an open one;
some types of coating are not appropriate in an enclosed area;
high rental costs;
multiple building permits required;
an athlete who trained indoors will not be able to quickly adapt on an outdoor court - there are too many weather factors (even the rebound of the ball in the wind will be different from the rebound in calm weather);
needed complex systems communications - light, ventilation, heating, sewerage.

Differences in court types and surface features

As we noted earlier, existing tennis surfaces vary greatly in performance. They all have their advantages and disadvantages. Tennis experts have in the past divided professional players according to their playing style, which was shaped by court surface preferences. For example, the Australians and the British were considered lovers of grass courts, which determined the “netting style” of the athletes (serving and quickly moving to the net). Due to the high speed and low rebound, playing on the back line practically does not bring positive results. Spanish tennis players, such as, for example, Robredo, are classified as “ground players.” A high and slow rebound makes the game stretch out over time, and also initiates the development of endurance and aggressiveness in the playing “ground players”.

Let's analyze each type of coating in detail to understand all the positive and negative aspects of each of them.

Ground coatings (Clay)

They were created in 1880, as a replacement for grass courts, in Cannes, France, by the English brothers Renshaw. They noticed that the grass types of surfaces loved by the British are not suitable for the hot Mediterranean climate of the country - they dry out very quickly, despite sufficient care, and quickly lose their desired properties. Trying to solve this difficult problem, they found an inventive way: sprinkle clay dust on their sites. Fortunately, there was plenty of raw material for sprinkling - nearby was the village of Vallauris, famous back in Roman times. It was located on deposits of red clay, actively used for pottery production.

The idea was not only approved by the local tennis community, but also gained extraordinary popularity. And twenty-nine years later, the UK company “En tout cas” introduced to the sports world so-called “quick-drying” coatings. They were made from several layers of stone, and covered with the same clay tile chips that were first used by the Renshaw brothers. This allowed water to penetrate through the voids of the material into the drains, thereby speeding up the drying of the court floor after rain or watering.

In 1927, Charles Buhama made a technical proposal to improve tennis court surfaces. He suggested using crushed limestone between the crushed stone and clay chips, thereby adding to the coating's ability to dry quickly. This also affected the overall depreciation during the match. This innovation was used to create the Roland Garossa competition grounds the following year - 1928.

Today, this type of tennis court surface is actively used at various top-level tournaments. Moreover, if you know some of the features of a clay court, you can add points to yourself in the competition.

Everyone knows that clay courts must be moistened frequently to maintain them in good condition. And the wetter the surface, the slower the ball will bounce. Accordingly, if two players who are not equal in strength enter the field, then the chances are greater weak athlete increase - he has more time to react. And a strong player cannot end the match with a couple of successful serves.

At the same time, the specificity of a clay court is the player’s sliding while moving towards the ball. It’s as if he’s “rolling up” to him.

On this moment There are two types of clay courts:

Red soil (tennisite, Continental Clay), which consists of alternating layers of coarse crushed stone, fine crushed stone, a lime layer, and is topped with a special mixture (also called “tennisite”) of broken brick, powdered clay and lime.
But many countries use the minerals that they have on hand as the top layer: volcanic crushed stone, marble chips, and, finally, tennisite without clay.
Green soil (American Clay, Har-Tru) - its general composition is similar to its counterpart, but in the upper layer the clay is replaced by the green mineral diabase, which is mined in an American volcanic quarry; it is practically not processed, only finely, finely, almost into dust, crushed.

Comparing these two options, you can see that due to the small fraction of the green mineral, it creates a better rebound on the court, which makes the game faster. It also allows matches to be played for several months longer than is possible on red clay due to seasonality. This ability is due to the resistance of the top layer of coating to softening after rain. It does not get very wet - this makes it possible to play even in the traditional off-season.

An important feature of this coating option is that it can also be used indoors: unlike tennisite, it does not generate dust and does not harden under the roof.

Grass

This type of coating is rightly considered the most ancient. Tennis developed there as a world sport. From the late 19th to early 20th centuries, most major competitions were held on grass courts. Today it is relevant at the Wimbledon, Gaul, Eastbourne, Stungard tournaments, and also recently at the tournament in Antalya, Turkey.

A special feature of a grass court is its hardness, which means a fast, low rebound, which requires a special style of play. At the same time, changing the height of the rebound is extremely difficult; this is done only by adjusting the height of the grass cover, and takes a significant period of time.

To create grass surfaces, the British use a special variety of grass, which was bred by breeders for this purpose. The coating is carefully maintained: promptly cleaned, fertilized and watered.

Interestingly, the daily duty of the organizers of the Wimbledon tournament is to cover the entire field after matches with a huge transparent cover - this is necessary in order to protect the grass from excessive heat and accumulate evaporating moisture, while at the same time protecting the upper layers from rain. The weight of such a case is more than a ton.

In addition, the surface is trimmed and rolled with a special roller, and the plastic marking lines are updated with a laying machine. It should be noted that most grass courts are located in the open air, this is due to the fact that experts do not recommend the use of this type of surface in indoor courts.

Grass, as a covering for courts, is the most traumatic and hard material that requires a certain amount of caution. Tennis players remain especially vigilant on wet grass: their legs can treacherously move apart during movement, disrupting their balance. Damage to the ankle or hip joints is possible.

Hard

This is the most common coating option in the world of tennis. Its high technical performance and reasonable price have made it possible for people to play tennis in places where laying traditional surfaces is impossible.

There are currently more than forty various modifications Harda.

Its main layers are:

basic concrete or asphalt;
general leveling;
softening (from one to nine);
finishing, which has a color chosen by the customer, as well as markings.

All layers are made from rubber and rubber granules in various combinations, and they are bonded with a polyurethane or acrylic liquid mixture. The layers are poured alternately onto the base coat, providing the desired height rebound and its clear trajectory.

Hard is divided into two independent groups according to the degree of rigidity of the final model:

Clean Hard (clean Hard) - most popular on professional courts, since it is considered a hard surface that is not gentle on the players’ joints. At the same time, it provides maximum high speed games. Consists of three layers: base, leveling layer and colored topcoat. There are no softening layers.
Hard Cushion (soft Hard) - can be with either six or nine softening layers that carefully support the bones and ligaments of tennis players. This number of additional shock-absorbing layers reduces the rebound, but to a greater extent the quality of the rebound depends on the percentage of sand in the top acrylic layer - the less it is, the better the rebound itself.

Hard has been actively used since the early fifties of the last century. And since then it has become the most promising and economical type of coating for tennis courts.

Teraflex

This type of coating belongs to the group of synthetic materials used on sports courts. It is not the most commonly used coating; moreover, it can only be laid in enclosed spaces - it does not tolerate moisture.

Consists of several layers, refers to soft types of sports surfaces:

Initially, a concrete, asphalt or wooden base is laid;
thick foam is placed on top, the dimensions of which regulate the rebound;
The finishing layer is vinyl with a pronounced surface texture.

To prevent dents from leaving, the coating is reinforced with a specialized mesh and also treated with polyurethane. The speed of play is similar to clay courts. But the difference is that the ball bounces along a twisted trajectory.

It can be used as a stationary coating - in which case it is glued or welded to the base, or used as a temporary coating - in this case it is secured with double-sided tape.

Carpet

This is also an option designed for indoor spaces. It is a synthetic material that is placed on a solid base - concrete, asphalt, wooden panels. The seams between the joints of the rolls are glued, and then the surface is carefully sprinkled with rubber granules, this allows Carpet to acquire the properties of soil.

The surface turns out to be quite soft, has good shock absorption, and therefore does not burden the legs of tennis players. Sometimes incidents happen when, due to sudden movement During the game, the athlete peels off and displaces the coating. The high cost of such carpet will also be important.

Artificial Grass (Synthetic Grass Tennis, Super Grass, Artificial Grass)

This type of tennis surface was first patented by the American T. Frederick. Due to its frost resistance and hygroscopicity, Artificial Grass can be used on open areas. Moreover, you can play within twenty to thirty minutes after a heavy downpour. It is easy to install and provides high-quality cushioning for the feet and legs of tennis players.

This type of covering can be classified as a carpet modification, but the production technology is different: the artificial grass pile is made using the tufting method. It imitates the stems of real grass, which are woven into the base and then covered with latex. The pile material can be different, which gives different physical properties and levels of wear resistance to the product as a whole.

The surface is carefully covered with rubber granules or fine quartz sand. This minimizes the possibility of a tennis player’s skin being burned in case of an accidental fall. Also, timely backfilling helps maintain the desired amount of ball rebound - the better the grass stems are fixed in a vertical position with sand, the higher the rebound will be.

Located on a standard solid concrete base, Super Grass is divided into three subtypes according to the level of filling:

non-fill (short pile from 8 to 12 millimeters);
semi-fill (average pile from 12 to 18 millimeters);
backfill (long thick pile from 18 to 22 millimeters).

Experts believe that those types of artificial grass that are completely covered with mixtures are closest to the playing characteristics of natural grass. An additional convenience is that markings can be made at the factory.

Synthetic Ground

This dense three-layer coating is laid out on a durable base, onto which foamed polyurethane is applied, and dense polyurethane particles are poured on top. This material was made as an analogue of natural red soil, so everything specifications it is close to the original.

One of the advantages is ease of maintenance: there is no need to water, which means buying a lot of equipment for this. Weather resistance makes it possible to install Synthetic Ground on both outdoor and indoor courts. It does not generate dust, and it is quite easy to repair.

Modular Covering

This synthetic type of covering consists of squares of durable polystyrene, fastened together like a puzzle. Gives a high-quality high rebound due to the density and uniformity of the structure. Since the surface is plastic covered with a through pattern, water does not linger on it. Dirt is also easily washed off into the drainage system.

The quality of the game is close to grass and clay courts, and more expresses the properties of a clay court.

Has many advantages, such as:

no need to use glue or special fixatives on the surface;
easy installation and maintenance;
possibility of installation on any hard surface, including old damaged coatings, such as Hard;
it is permissible to install on dense sand, without a concrete or asphalt base;
wear-resistant;
isolates noise well.

This type of coverage has one drawback, but a very significant one:

This type of coverage is intended only for amateur players; professional tennis players do not play on Modular Covering.

We looked at the main types of surfaces used in the construction of tennis courts. But there are also unusual options around the world: for example, in India, which hosted the Davis Cup teams on its courts in 1963, floors were installed from dried cow dung, which shocked many athletes. The presence of an unpleasant odor did not discourage American team the will to win, and they won, taking a five-point lead.

Hard tennis court surfaces are suitable for playing tennis, thanks to its characteristics. While playing on such a surface, tennis players feel confident and comfortable; The matte structure of HARD eliminates glare, and the minimal absorption of the ball's energy and its excellent visibility make the surface ideal for both training and sports competitions;

Properties Hard

The properties of the material for site construction are stable for use over a wide temperature range from -50 to +50 degrees; An almost ideal plane is achieved using a special leveling technology. The HARD structure has several layers applied in a certain way, resulting in a homogeneous surface with excellent performance characteristics, which include color, texture and elasticity;

Depending on the number of softening layers with rubber crumbs and the content of quartz sand in the composition, you can adjust the speed of the ball's rebound.

The construction of tennis courts in Moscow is carried out by Sport-Coating LLC, which has more than 15 years of experience in this field; Price for specialized HARD formulations for tennis court fully consistent with its quality, the guarantee from the company is 3 years
At the preparatory stage of construction of the site, concrete is first poured, which is covered on top with a special polymer acrylic composition.

Professional composition for use on HARD tennis courts is durable and comes in a variety of colors; HARD - the coating is one of the most convenient for playing tennis; its surface is quite hard and consists of several layers of special polymers, which allows you to clearly control the rebound of the ball and keep the game under control.

The hard drive has quality guarantees and a long service life. In addition, Hard is used in professional ITF competitions.
* The company "Sport-Coating" LLC has been laying and supplying material for tennis courts for more than 15 years. Our experienced experts will provide professional advice and arrange a reliable surface for sports ground in a short time at the best price.

When choosing a tennis surface, it is important to determine the correct number of softening layers and a certain level of hardness. The most universal option is Hard on a rubber roll backing (Regupol/Kraiburg). It hosts championships and the surface is certified by the ITF (International Tennis Association).

HARD sports surface, varieties and structure

HARD is the most practical and unpretentious material to use. It consists of several layers, usually from 5 to 14, which are acrylic polymers of varying degrees of rigidity.
The coating of HARD tennis courts contains functional layers, softening and finishing (marking).
Functional layers serve to shape its properties, softening properties are important for the ball's rebound and for the players' joints.
Often, when constructing sites, a special rubber backing is used as the first layer, which is an excellent shock absorber, making use more comfortable and safe; in addition, the rubber underlay for self-leveling layers HARD helps ensure the evenness of the surface if the base is not too level.
The price of HARD coating depends on the number of layers and the presence of a softening substrate. By purchasing material from us, you receive guaranteed high quality and coatings tested by professional players.

The rubber backing is attached to the base of the platform and provides additional softening, allowing you to maintain the structure of the material for a long time, due to its unique shock-absorbing properties.
Professional sports surface HARD is used during competitions, training of professional tennis players, and is suitable for amateur courts. Can be used for other sports. In case of using a multisport platform, the use of additional softening or rubber backing is recommended.
Shock-absorbing backing made from recycled materials crumb rubber, is attached to the base with heavy-duty glue and provides additional softening, allows you to maintain the structure for a long time, due to its unique shock-absorbing properties;

The material is laid in several stages: First, you need to prepare the base. For sports surface The evenness of the base is extremely important: It should be free of cracks, potholes, etc., in some cases a leveling screed is sufficient, but it is much better if the concrete or asphalt base is initially laid out in a completely even layer.
This is due to the fact that the material has a structure that, like a self-leveling floor, completely replicates the surface of the site.
* With a properly prepared base, the future court will be suitable for use for as long as possible, more than 15 years, and no puddles will form on it. Therefore, the preparatory stage when constructing a tennis court is extremely important: compliance with technology, building codes, creating a slope of the site along the entire plane, thermal seams.
The structure of the Hard sports surface is such that in case of minor damage, it will be enough to locally repair the surface by filling it with a small amount of polymer.
When choosing a sports surface, it is recommended to take into account the future intended use: if the players are experienced, preferring quick game, then the HARD material is chosen to be sufficiently rigid, with the fastest possible rebound of the ball.
We recommend using a 4-6 mm rubber backing or additional softening, this will make the game more comfortable and injury-free. This becomes especially relevant if children play tennis.
Additional softening layers are added to the composition; there can be up to 8 of them, but the minimum softening that it is advisable to add to all areas is 2 layers.

Use of rubber backing in the construction of tennis courts

The average service life is 15 years, and in case of minor damage, it is enough to locally repair problem areas, update the top and marking layers, and the site will be like new again, with minimal costs.
Unlike the all-purpose rubber surfaces on a tennis court, HARD allows for more dynamic play. Experienced tennis players know how important accurate ball bounce and a flat blade are to placing shots accurately and being able to play on the edges of the lines.
Majority professional competitions take place on Hard, this material has long earned special love among tennis players.
Dimensions of a standard tennis court
23.77m x 10.97m - area for doubles play,
23.77m x 8.23m - area for single player.
Total area 648 m2 (with runs)

Class tennis is in a great way relieve stress and give the body maximum load. When moving around court you have to use all muscle groups, from legs to shoulders and neck. Yes and aerobic exercise allows you to saturate cardiovascular system oxygen and effectively strengthen it.

What you need to know about the tennis court

For training and tennis competitions you need special area - court. Its size according to the standard is limited to a length of 23.78 m (26 yards). And the width varies depending on the type of game: for singles it is 8.23 m (9 yards) and for doubles it is 10.97 m (12 yards).

The playing part of the court is outlined by white lines:
. rear - along the short ones;
. and lateral - along the long sides of the site.

In the middle, across the entire width, there is a tension, which is attached to posts installed 0.914 meters (1 yard) behind the side lines. The distance from the ground to the top of the net at the posts is 1.07 m (1 yd 6 in), and at midcourt it is 0.914 m.

The feed zone is marked with a special line. It is drawn 6.4 meters (7 yards) from the net, parallel to it, between the sidelines for singles play. From it to the net there is a middle line, dividing the service zone into two equal parts. All marking strips are an integral part tennis court. Even a ball that hits them is considered counted. The space behind the side lines at least 3.75 m and behind the rear lines at least 6.5 m is equipped with the same covering as the main one playground- Tennis players will move there during the game.

Types of tennis courts

According to the type of coverage, all courts are divided into: clay, carpet, and asphalt. Each type of surface chosen has a different effect on the ball's rebound, which directly affects the strategy of the game and preparation for it. Many professional tennis players show excellent play on a clay court and at the same time lose in all respects on a grass court.

At first, tennis was played exclusively on open grass courts. courts, from or lawn, which are characterized by the fastest and lowest rebound of the ball. The nature of the game on them largely depends on the current state of the grass and existing uneven ground conditions, as well as the weather.

Then there appeared unpaved areas, the covering of which consists of sand with clay and crushed stone or brick. On modern courts plastics began to be added to this mixture. The rebound of the ball on the ground is slow, but as high as possible.

Then the age of synthetics began. “Hard” has become popular, having an asphalt or concrete surface at its base, covered with a synthetic layer of. Different synthetic compositions have their own effect on rebound characteristics, but in general this option is considered the second fastest after grass.

During construction courts They also began to use synthetic carpets, which, due to their softness, reduce the speed of play, but they are ideal for indoor tennis facilities. Other options at official competitions are not used, but are quite widely used for training and equipping personal gyms.

General rules for the location of the court and the equipment required for it

Before you start construction tennis court You should make sure that there is enough space in the selected area. Taking into account the side corridors and runs behind the back line, you will need a rectangle measuring at least 18x36 meters.

For correct orientation, the long side of the court should be stretched from south to north so that the sun does not blind the eyes. Plus, for an indoor area, you will need space for arranging the walls of a sports facility, and for an open area, you will need to take care of the drainage system and a special windproof background.

In addition to the covering, you will need to make a good covering on all sides, for an open court, also a net so that the balls do not fly too far. Lighting masts for the amateur level are at the four corners of the site, and for professional competitions it will be necessary to make eight towers with a height of 6 meters or more.

Behind the cover of the closed court It should be maintained in accordance with its manufacturer's instructions. The main thing in this case is to monitor general cleanliness and not allow people wearing shoes with spikes to move around it. But grass and dirt courts will require some effort: after each game and at night, they should be spilled with water. The grass, if it is natural, will have to be constantly trimmed and the soil leveled with a rake. And don’t forget to update the markup every time.

In the final third part of the article we will talk about clay and grass courts. For objective reasons, which we will discuss below, these types of coverage are inferior in terms of prevalence to hard. The grass season lasts just over 1.5 months. And if we discard Wimbledon, then even less. On the other hand, this also has its advantages. This certain uniqueness makes the big tournaments on clay and grass somewhat special, and if you like, elite. It’s not for nothing that victories in tournaments Grand Slam on the ground (French Open (RolandGarros)) and on the grass (Wimbledon) are valued by athletes and amateurs higher than Victoria US Open (US-Open) or Australian Open. Although nominally the last two tournaments are also included in the series of Grand Slam tournaments.

Clay courts

In terms of construction and operation, these are usually the most economical courts. This type of coating is also considered to be the least traumatic. Therefore, it is recommended to play on it for adults, children, and beginners. But what does it mean "tennis clay"? This is, of course, not an ordinary “ground”, as some novice tennis fans think. To cover these courts, a mixture of natural materials is used in various combinations and proportions: sand, clay, brick chips, etc. Hence the color of the clay courts. The most common is "red soil", used mainly in Europe and South America. Tournaments are held in the USA "green soil".

Clay courts are the slowest type of surface. The bounce of the ball is usually high. The draws are long and what bigger ball is in the game, the heavier it becomes, as it “collects” soil on itself. Of course, a strong serve won’t hurt on clay either. However, all other things being equal, on this type of coverage, the “player runners” get an advantage, i.e. tennis players who are able to withstand a long exchange of blows on the back line, have good endurance and prefer combination tennis. Therefore, by doing tennis betting, one should take into account these seemingly elementary truths regarding the specifics of playing on clay.

Grass courts

Natural grass courts in the open spaces former USSR very rare. What can we say about the post-Soviet region, even in Europe, they are a curiosity, and more or less common only in Germany and the UK. Several grass tournaments are also held in the United States. All this is explained by objective reasons: the high cost of construction and the complexity of operation. It is constantly necessary to monitor the quality of the grass “carpet” and carry out timely regeneration measures.

Grass is considered the fastest surface in tennis. The ball bounces fast and low. Pranks are usually over in a few hits. Tennis players with an aggressive style have an advantage on grass. In a game between two athletes who have a good serve, all other things being equal, the stereotypical bet is the bet on “total games over”.

With this, the “trilogy” about the types of tennis court surfaces has come to its logical conclusion. I hope that the information presented in the articles will at least slightly allow beginners in sports betting to improve the quality of their tennis predictions. AND remember that you cannot consider the court surface factor in isolation from other data (physical and psychological form, motivation, etc.)!

Good luck to you in your bets and everyday affairs!