Grass Court

Grass courts consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, which adds additional variables: bounces depend on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play. The Grass Court is normally associated with the prestigious Wimbledon Championships, which take place every July.

This surface is the fastest of all the tennis court surfaces due to its slippery surface. The ball has a lower bounce as the soil is softer than the materials used on the other types of tennis courts. The Grass Courts may also produce an unpredictable bounce to the ball due to the softer and slightly uneven surface of grass.

Due to the characteristics of the Grass Courts, the ball moves at a faster pace with a lower bounce thus favouring players with a good serve and net players.

Disadvantages of Grass Tennis Courts

Grass is the one tennis court surface that changes character significantly during the course of a tournament, especially the most famous grass-court tournament, Wimbledon, which goes for two weeks. Grass is, after all, a living thing, and there’s only so much a tiny little plant can take of being stepped on by a world-class athlete running at full speed or digging in to stop running and change direction. On the first day of Wimbledon, the grass courts are a lovely green throughout. By the second week, huge areas behind the baselines and near the service lines are reduced to brown remnants of grass and a lot of bare dirt.

On a fresh, green grass court, the ball tends to bounce fairly consistently, but quite low and fast. As the ball hits the grass at the acute angle typical of most tennis shots, it bends blades of grass in front of itself, and laid down, they form a fairly smooth surface upon which the ball skids forward, encountering relatively few vertical protrusions to slow it down or push it upward. On such a fast surface, points tend to be relatively short; therefore, a grass-court generally provides the least exercise per match. Grass is tough on the arm, though, because the ball hits the racquet with more speed, and more speed generally means more shock and torsion.

The amount of torsion the arm suffers increases as the court gets more worn, because bounces become more unpredictable, leading to more off-center hits. Unpredictable bounces also introduce more luck into the game. A fast, unpredictable surface tends to discourage patience, as the potency of aggressive shots is enhanced and the ability to rely on steadiness is diminished, in part because topspin is a major tool for consistency, but it’s less effective and more difficult to execute when the ball bounces low and more difficult to time when the ball bounces unpredictably.

Whether grass is fresh or worn, it tends to be slippery, and even slight wetness makes it quite unsafe. While hard courts can remain playable for several minutes and clay sometimes indefinitely in a light drizzle, play must be suspended almost immediately on grass.

Advantages of Grass Tennis Courts

The softness of grass makes it relatively easy on the legs (except when the player slips), and its shorter points mean less running. Shorter points also mitigate somewhat the stress on the arm, as the faster and more frequently off-center ball impacts are at least fewer. Racquet also meets ball generally lower on grass, and on groundstrokes, meeting the ball low usually strains the arm less than meeting it high. When a player does slip, grass cushions the fall, especially when it’s still untrampled.

If you’ve watched Wimbledon or the handful of other grass tournaments over the years, you’ve probably noticed seeing more serve-and-volley tennis there than anywhere else. Low bounces make getting under the ball to hit topspin passing shots more difficult, and unpredictable bounces add an incentive to hit the ball in the air; therefore, volleying becomes especially advantageous. Slice groundstrokes are also rewarded on grass, as it enhances their low bounces. Playing on grass thus encourages a versatile, all-court game.

Grass is the closest thing to a fountain of youth for balls and shoes. They don’t get to keep their good looks while enjoying longevity, but given a choice between green coloration and being entirely used up. Earth itself agrees.

The Grass

The grass plant itself has to survive in this dry soil. Expert research has again shown that a cut height of 8mm is the optimum for present day play and survival.

Courts are sown with 100 per cent Perennial Ryegrass to improve durability and strengthen the sward to withstand better the increasing wear of the modern game.

Independent expert research from The Sports Turf Research Institute in Yorkshire, UK, proved that changing the grass seed mix to 100 per cent perennial ryegrass (previously 70 per cent rye/30 per cent creeping red fescue) would be the best way forward to combat wear and enhance court presentation and performance without affecting the perceived speed of the court. Perceived speed of a court is affected by a number of factors such as the general compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather before and during the event.

The ball will seem heavier and slower on a cold damp day and conversely lighter and faster on a warm dry day.

The amount a ball bounces is largely determined by the soil, not the grass. The soil must be hard and dry to allow 13 days of play without damage to the court sub-surface. To achieve the required surface of even consistency and hardness, the courts are rolled and covered to keep them dry and firm. Regular measurements are taken to monitor this.

The Lines

Total area of grass on each of Centre and No.1 Courts on Wimbledon is 41m x 22m. Singles Court is length 23.77m (78’) x width 8.23m (27’). Doubles Court is length 23.77m (78’) x width 10.97m (36’).

Paint is not used to mark the lines on the court. A transfer wheel marker is used to apply a white compound (500 gallons used yearly) containing titanium dioxide to make it durable.

All the lines are 50mm wide, except the baselines, which are 100mm.

Court Maintenance

• nine tons of grass seed is used each year;
• all courts re-lined, rolled and mown daily during the Championships;
• court wear, surface hardness and ball rebound are all measured daily;
• all courts renovated in September.

How to Grow a Grass Court

It takes around 15 months to prepare a Championships’ standard court before it can be played on. This process is as follows:

1. The courts are constructed and seeded in April. The courts will then be cut once the new grass reaches 15mm, and then cut three times a week in May to keep at 15mm.
2. During The Championships the height of grass will be 8mm, it will be cut every day.
3. For the remainder of the summer the courts will only be cut three times a week and watered as they need to mature and naturally firm up.
4. At the end of summer six tons of soil will be put on each court to make sure the playing surfaces are level.
5. The height of cut will be reduced from their winter height of 13mm to the playing height of 8mm, this starts in March and will be ready for Members’ day in May.
6. In early May the white line markings are put on the courts.
7. During the playing season the grass is cut every other day.
8. The courts will get rolled once a week in May with a one-ton roller to firm the surface so that it is ready to play on.
9. In June the amount of water put on the courts starts to be restricted, this also helps firm the surface.
10. During The Championships the courts are cut and the lines are marked out every day.
11. A little bit of water is put on the courts at night during The Championships to help the grass survive.

Tips When Playing Grass Court Tennis

Grass is a fun surface where your great shorts will be made to look even greater. Great serves will turn in to aces; powerful shots will be tougher to get back turning in to winners. However, if you go on grass trying to play how you do on clay it simply won’t work. You need to embrace the surface and adapt by using all the information.

1. Move softer with light footwork. The grass court season comes just after the clay season where players have been sliding to get to balls, one of the big differences on grass is we don’t want to slide as this could end up coursing an injury instead you stay balanced with light steps on a grass court. Before playing a match spend some time working on stopping and changing direction; for example, sprints and then stopping balanced before hitting.
2. The serve is one of the most important shots on grass. The grass will help your serve get through the court quicker. It’s important to be prepared to improvise a lot on grass. For example, making use of the slice serve and then using the serve and volley. When we play on clay courts the ball will bounce up high making the kick serve the main choice for the pros, on grass the ball stays lower therefore you switch to the slice serve keeping the ball low.
3. Play aggressive tennis. You have less time therefore you need to think a little less and go for your shots. Steal time from your opponent and look to move forward shrinking the court.
4. Grass is the only living surface therefore the bounce will not always be the same and sometimes may vary depending on the quality of the grass court. A fantastic grass court player will always be prepared to improvise both their footwork and technique depending on the bounce. Expect the unexpected.
5. An intention is an idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. If you mean something, it’s an intention. Your goal, purpose, or aim is your intention. It’s something you mean to do, whether you pull it off or not. When playing on a quick surface like grass you must have the correct intension from the start of the point, both with your attacking mindset and your clear tactical plan. There is no time on grass to second guess or have the wrong intension.
6. A slice backhand is more effective on grass mainly because the bounce on a grass court is lower than that of a bounce on a hard or clay court. When we slice we want to keep the ball as low as possible stopping your opponent from attacking.
7. Serve & Volley. There’s no doubt less professionals are serve and volleying now than in the past; however, on grass this can be a valuable tool. Next time you play on grass try to move your opponent wide with for example a slice serve and then rush the net following the line of the ball as quickly as possible, split step and volley to the open court.
8. Racket Back. When you play on a grass court the ball comes much quicker therefore you need to get your racket back early so that you can make contact out in front of your body.
9. Shorter Points. Points will be shorter on grass therefore the first player to impose themselves in the point usually wins it. Try to use your serve+1 to impose yourself early in the point. To do this you hit your serve and then try to hit your most attacking favorite shot after the serve which usually is a player’s forehand, on the flip side when returning try to neutralize big serves and attack second serves stopping your opponent from using their serve plus one.