A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles matches. A variety of surfaces can be used to create a tennis court, each with its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game.
The dimensions of a tennis court are defined and regulated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) governing body and are written down in the annual ‘Rules of Tennis’ document. The court is 78 feet (23.77 metres) long. Its width is 27 feet (8.23 metres) for singles matches and 36 feet (10.97 metres) for doubles matches.The service line is 21 feet (6.40 metres) from the net. Additional clear space around the court is needed in order for players to reach overrun balls for a total of 60 feet (18 metres) wide and 120 feet (37 metres) long. A net is stretched across the full width of the court, parallel with the baselines, dividing it into two equal ends. The net is 3 feet 6 inches (1.07 metres) high at the posts, and 3 feet (0.91 metres) high in the center. The net posts are 3 feet (0.91 metres) outside the doubles court on each side or, for a singles net, 3 feet (0.91 metres) outside the singles court on each side.
The ITF’s Play and Stay campaign promotes playing on smaller courts with slower red, orange and green balls for younger children. This gives children more time and control so they can serve, rally, and score from the first lesson on courts that are sized to fit their bodies. The ITF has mandated that official competition for children aged 10 years and under should be played on “Orange” courts 18 m (59 ft) long by 6.4 m (21 ft) wide. Competition for children under 8 years is played on “Red” courts that are 11 m (36 ft) long and 5.5 m (18 ft) wide. The net is always 0.8 m high in the center.
Tennis is played on a variety of surfaces and each surface has its own characteristics which affect the playing style of the game. There are four main types of courts depending on the materials used for the court surface: clay courts, hard courts, grass courts and carpet courts. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) lists different surfaces and properties and classifies surfaces into one of five pace settings:
- Category 1 (slow)
- Category 2 (medium-slow)
- Category 3 (medium)
- Category 4 (medium-fast)
- Category 5 (fast)
Of the current four Grand Slam tournaments, the Australian and US Open use hard courts, French Open is played on clay, and Wimbledon, the only Grand Slam to have always been played on the same surface, is played on grass. The Australian Open switched from grass to hard courts in 1988 and in its early years the French championship alternated between clay and sand/rubble courts. The US Open is the only major to have been played on three surfaces; it was played on grass from its inception until 1974, clay from 1975 until 1977 and hard courts since it moved from the West Side Tennis Club to the National Tennis Center in 1978.
ITF uses the following classification for tennis court surface types:
|Textured, pigmented, resin-bound coating
|Synthetic surface with the appearance of clay
|Synthetic surface with the appearance of natural grass
|Textile or polymeric material supplied in rolls or sheets of finished product
|Unbound mineral aggregate
|Natural grass grown from seed
|E.g. modular systems (tiles), wood, canvas
Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick. The French Open is the only Grand Slam tournament to use clay courts.
Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce in comparison to grass or hard courts. For this reason, the clay court takes away many of the advantages of big serves, which makes it hard for serve-based players to dominate on the surface. Clay courts are cheaper to construct than other types of tennis courts, but a clay surface costs more to maintain. Clay courts need to be rolled to preserve flatness. The clay’s water content must be balanced; green clay courts generally require the courts to be sloped to allow water run-off.
Clay courts are more common in Europe and Latin America than in North America, and tend to heavily favour baseline players.
Grass courts are the fastest type of courts in common use. They 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. Points are usually very quick where fast, low bounces keep rallies short, and the serve plays a more important role than on other surfaces. Grass courts tend to favour serve-and-volley tennis players.
Grass courts were once among the most common tennis surfaces, but are now rare due to high maintenance costs as they must be watered and mown often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts. The grass surface, however, is the most physically forgiving to the human body because of its softness.
Hard courts are made of uniform rigid material, often covered with an acrylic surface layer to offer greater consistency of bounce than other outdoor surfaces. Hard courts can vary in speed, though they are faster than clay but not as fast as grass courts. The quantity of sand added to the paint can greatly affect the rate at which the ball slows down.
“Carpet” in tennis means any removable court covering. Indoor arenas store rolls of rubber-backed court surfacing and install it temporarily for tennis events, but they are not in use any more for professional events. A short piled form of artificial turf infilled with sand is used for some outdoor courts, particularly in Asia. Carpet is generally a fast surface, faster than hardcourt, with low bounce.
Notable tennis tournaments previously held on carpet courts were the WCT Finals, Paris Masters, U.S. Pro Indoor and Kremlin Cup. Since 2009, their use has been discontinued on the top tier of the ATP. ATP Challenger Tour tournaments such as the Trofeo Città di Brescia still use carpet courts. The WTA Tour has one remaining carpet court event, the International-level Tournoi de Québec.
Some tennis courts are indoor, which allows to play regardless of weather conditions and is more comfortable for spectators. Because of the lack of wind, gameplay is considerably different versus outdoor courts.
Any court surface may be used indoors. Hard courts are most common indoors, as they are made with the most versatile materials and surface finishes. Clay courts are installed indoors with underground watering systems, and used mostly for Davis Cup matches. The conclusion of the Wimbledon Championships, in 2012, was played on the lawn of Centre Court under the closed roof and artificial lights. The Halle Open has also seen a number of matches played on its grass court in the Gerry Weber Stadion with the roof closed. Carpet surfaces have been used both on the ATP World Tour and World Championship Tennis circuit, though no events currently use them. Historically, other surfaces have been used indoors such as hardwood at the defunct World Covered Court Championships and London Indoor Professional Championships. Currently, the ATP World Tour Finals event is the most important indoor tennis tournament.
Uwanja wa tenisi ni mahali ambapo mchezo wa tenisi huchezwa. Ni uso thabiti wa mstatili wenye wavu wa chini ulioinuliwa katikati. Uso huo huo unaweza kutumiwa kucheza mechi za jozi na za mtu mmoja. Kuna aina mbalimbali za nyuso ambazo zinaweza kutumiwa kutengeneza uwanja wa tenisi, kila moja ikiwa na sifa zake ambazo huathiri mtindo wa kucheza mchezo. """Urefu wa uwanja wa tenisi hufafanuliwa na kudhibitiwa na shirika la kimataifa la tenisi (ITF) na huandikwa katika hati ya kila mwaka ya sheria za tenisi." Uwanja huo una urefu wa futi 78. Upana wake ni mita 27 kwa mechi za mtu mmoja na mita 36 kwa mechi za watu wawili.Mstari wa huduma ni mita 21 kutoka kwa wavu. Mahali pa ziada wazi karibu na mahakama inahitajika ili wachezaji kufikia mipira ya kupita kwa jumla ya futi 60 (18 mita) pana na futi 120 (37 mita) ndefu. Mtandao umepanuliwa kwenye upana wote wa uwanja, sambamba na mistari ya msingi, ukigawanya katika ncha mbili sawa. Mtandao ni 3 futi 6 inchi (1.07 mita) juu katika posts, na 3 futi (0.91 mita) juu katika kituo. Vipande vya wavu ni 3 ft (0.91 m) nje ya mahakama ya mara mbili kwa kila upande au, kwa ajili ya moja ya wavu, 3 ft (0.91 m) nje ya mahakama ya moja kwa kila upande. Kampeni ya ITF ya kucheza na kukaa inakuza kucheza kwenye mahakama ndogo na mpira wa polepole wa rangi nyekundu, machungwa na kijani kwa watoto wadogo. Hii huwapa watoto muda na udhibiti zaidi ili waweze kutumikia, kukusanyika, na kupata alama kutoka kwa somo la kwanza kwenye mahakama ambazo zina ukubwa wa kuendana na miili yao. Mashindano ya kimataifa ya mpira wa miguu (ITF) yanaamuru mashindano ya watoto wenye umri wa miaka 10 na chini ya miaka 10 yachezwe kwenye viwanja vya rangi ya machungwa vyenye urefu wa mita 18 na upana wa mita 6.4. Mashindano ya watoto chini ya miaka 8 huchezwa kwenye viwanja vya "Red" ambavyo ni 11 m (36 ft) kwa urefu na 5.5 m (18 ft) kwa upana. Mtandao huo una urefu wa mita 0.8 katikati. Tennis ni kucheza juu ya aina ya nyuso na kila uso ina sifa zake mwenyewe ambayo kuathiri mtindo wa kucheza wa mchezo. Kuna aina nne kuu za mahakama kulingana na vifaa kutumika kwa ajili ya uso mahakama: mahakama udongo, mahakama ngumu, mahakama nyasi na mahakama zulia. Shirikisho la Tennis la Kimataifa (ITF) linaorodhesha nyuso tofauti na mali na kuainisha nyuso katika moja ya mipangilio mitano ya kasi: (Mstari wa 1 - polepole) (Mstari wa 2 - wa kati - polepole) (Mstari wa 3 - wa kati) (Mstari wa 4 - wa kati - wa haraka) (Mstari wa 5 - wa haraka) Kati ya mashindano manne ya Grand Slam ya sasa, Australia na US Open hutumia mahakama ngumu, French Open inachezwa kwenye udongo, na Wimbledon, Grand Slam pekee ambayo imekuwa ikichezwa kwenye uso huo. Mashindano ya Australia ya wazi yalianza kutumiwa kwenye uwanja wa mchanga mwaka 1988 na mashindano ya Ufaransa yalianza kutumiwa kwenye uwanja wa mchanga na mchanga. Mashindano ya US Open ni mashindano ya kwanza ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano ya mashindano. "Kuna aina kadhaa za ""Tennis"" - mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga, mchanga." Modular mifumo (vipande), mbao, canvas Mahakama ya udongo ni yaliyotengenezwa na shale crushed, jiwe au matofali. Mashindano ya French Open ndiyo mashindano pekee ya Grand Slam yanayotumia viwanja vya udongo. Mahakama za udongo hupunguza mwendo wa mpira na hutokeza kuruka kwa juu ikilinganishwa na mahakama za nyasi au ngumu. Kwa sababu hii, mahakama ya udongo huondoa faida nyingi za huduma kubwa, ambayo inafanya kuwa vigumu kwa wachezaji wa huduma kutawala juu ya uso. Mahakama za udongo ni za bei nafuu kujenga kuliko aina nyingine za mahakama za tenisi, lakini uso wa udongo ni wa gharama kubwa kudumisha. Viwanja vya udongo vinahitaji kupinduliwa ili kuhifadhi usawa. Kiasi cha maji ya udongo lazima kiwe na usawa; mahakama za udongo wa kijani kwa ujumla zinahitaji mahakama kuwa na mteremko ili kuruhusu maji kutiririka. Mahakama za udongo ni za kawaida zaidi katika Ulaya na Amerika ya Kusini kuliko katika Amerika ya Kaskazini, na huwa na kupendelea sana wachezaji wa msingi. Mahakama za nyasi ndizo aina ya mahakama zenye mwendo wa kasi zaidi zinazotumiwa kwa kawaida. Mimea hiyo hupandwa kwenye udongo mgumu sana, na kwa hivyo inazidi kuwa na uwezo wa kubadilika kulingana na jinsi nyasi ilivyo na afya, jinsi imepigwa hivi karibuni, na jinsi inavyochakaa. Pointi ni kawaida haraka sana ambapo haraka, chini bounces kuweka rallies mfupi, na huduma ina jukumu muhimu zaidi kuliko juu ya nyuso nyingine. Mahakama za nyasi huwa na upendeleo kwa wachezaji wa tenisi wa kuwahudumia na wa voley. Mahakama za nyasi zilikuwa moja ya nyuso za kawaida za tenisi, lakini sasa ni nadra kwa sababu ya gharama kubwa za matengenezo kwani lazima zimepandwa maji na kukatwa mara nyingi, na kuchukua muda mrefu kukauka baada ya mvua kuliko mahakama ngumu. Hata hivyo, nyasi ni yenye kuhimili zaidi mwili wa binadamu kwa sababu ya unene wake. Mahakama ngumu ni alifanya ya vifaa sawa rigid, mara nyingi kufunikwa na acrylic uso safu ya kutoa uthabiti mkubwa wa bounce kuliko nyuso nyingine nje. Mahakama ngumu zinaweza kutofautiana katika kasi, ingawa ni haraka kuliko udongo lakini si haraka kama mahakama za nyasi. Kiasi cha mchanga unaoongezwa kwenye rangi chaweza kuathiri sana mwendo wa mpira. "Kabati" katika tenisi inamaanisha kifuniko chochote cha mahakama kinachoweza kuondolewa. Uwanja wa ndani huhifadhi rolls za rubber-backed court surface na kuiweka kwa muda kwa ajili ya mashindano ya tenisi, lakini hazitumiwi tena kwa ajili ya mashindano ya kitaaluma. Aina fupi ya nyasi bandia iliyojaa mchanga hutumiwa kwa ajili ya viwanja fulani vya nje, hasa huko Asia. Kwa ujumla zulia ni uso wa haraka, wa haraka kuliko uwanja mgumu, wenye kuruka chini. Mashindano ya kwanza ya tenisi ya kimataifa yaliyofanyika kwenye uwanja wa mpira wa magongo ni Mashindano ya WTC, Mashindano ya Paris Masters, na Mashindano ya Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja wa Uwanja. Pro Indoor na Kombe la Kremlin. Tangu mwaka 2009 matumizi ya chombo hicho yamekuwa yakipigwa marufuku katika kiwango cha juu cha ATP. Mashindano ya ATP Challenger Tour kama vile Trofeo Città di Brescia bado hutumia mahakama za zulia. Mashindano ya WTA yana mashindano ya kimataifa ya kimataifa ya Tour de Québec. Baadhi ya mahakama za tenisi ni za ndani, ambazo huruhusu kucheza bila kujali hali ya hewa na ni vizuri zaidi kwa watazamaji. Kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa upepo, gameplay ni tofauti sana dhidi ya mahakama ya nje. Uso wowote wa uwanja unaweza kutumiwa ndani ya nyumba. Mahakama ngumu ni ya kawaida ndani ya nyumba, kama wao ni kufanywa na vifaa zaidi versatile na kumaliza uso. Mahakama za udongo zimewekwa ndani ya nyumba na mifumo ya umwagiliaji maji ya chini ya ardhi, na hutumiwa hasa kwa mechi za Kombe la Davis. Mashindano ya Wimbledon ya mwaka 2012 yalifanyika kwenye uwanja wa Centre Court, chini ya paa la kufungwa na taa za bandia. Halle Open pia imeona idadi ya mechi zilizochezwa kwenye uwanja wake wa nyasi katika Uwanja wa Gerry Weber na paa imefungwa. Matoleo ya carpet yametumika katika mashindano ya ATP World Tour na World Championship Tennis, ingawa hakuna mashindano ya sasa yanayotumia. Kihistoria, nyuso nyingine zimetumiwa ndani ya nyumba kama vile mbao ngumu katika Mashindano ya Dunia ya Mahakama iliyofunikwa na Mashindano ya London ya Wataalamu wa Ndani. Mashindano ya ATP World Tour Finals ni mashindano makubwa zaidi ya tenisi ya ndani.