A hardcourt (or hard court) is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the surface and mark the playing lines, while providing some cushioning. [1] [2] Historically, hardwood surfaces were also in use in indoor settings, similar to an indoor basketball court, but these surfaces are rare now. [3]
Tennis hard courts are made of synthetic/acrylic layers on top of a concrete or asphalt foundation and can vary in color. These courts tend to play medium-fast to fast because there is little energy absorption by the court, as with grass courts but unlike clay courts. [4] The ball tends to bounce high and players are able to apply many types of spin during play. Flat balls are favored on hard courts because of the extremely quick play style. Speed of rebound after tennis balls bounce on hard courts is determined by how much sand is in the synthetic/acrylic layer placed on top of the asphalt foundation. More sand will result in a slower bounce due to more friction. [5] [6]
Of the Grand Slam tournaments, the US Open and Australian Open currently use hard courts, and it is the predominant surface type used on the professional tour. [7] [8]
There are numerous hardcourt maintenance methods which are commonly used to keep these facilities in top condition. Some of these include brushing, pressure washing with a cleaning solution and applying chemical treatments to prevent the growth of moss and algae. Anti-slip paint is also applied to hardcourts to give better playing qualities which enhance player safety and performance. [9]
Some prominent brands of hardcourt surfaces used at professional tournaments include:
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent's court. The object of the game is to manoeuvre the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return. The player who is unable to return the ball validly will not gain a point, while the opposite player will.
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 centre. 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 US Open Tennis Championships, commonly called the US Open, is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other three, in chronological order, are the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The US Open starts on the last Monday of August and continues for two weeks, with the middle weekend coinciding with the US Labor Day holiday. The tournament is one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, originally known as the U.S. National Championship, for which men's singles and men's doubles were first played in August 1881. It is the only Grand Slam that was not affected by cancellation due to World War I and World War II, nor interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The Australian Open starts in the middle of January and continues for two weeks coinciding with the Australia Day holiday. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles; junior's championships; and wheelchair, legends, and exhibition events. Before 1988, it was played on grass courts, but since then two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used: green-coloured Rebound Ace up to 2007 and blue Plexicushion since 2008.
The Athens Olympic Tennis Centre is a grouping of 16 tennis courts at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, in Marousi, Athens, Greece. The centre consists of a main stadium, known as The Main Court, seating 8,600 fans - though only 6,000 seats were made publicly available during the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Paralympics- two semifinal courts, seating 4,300 spectators - though only 3,200 seats were made publicly available during the Olympics - and thirteen side courts, seating 200 observers each.
A grass court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Grass courts are made of grasses in different compositions depending on the tournament.
IGA Stadium, originally Stade Du Maurier and formerly Stade Uniprix after a major pharmacy chain in Quebec. The stadium is the main tennis court at the Canadian Open tournament in Montreal, Quebec Canada. Built in 1996 and completed the following year, the centre court stadium currently holds 11,815 spectators. On Monday, April 16, 2018, Tennis Canada announced that it would change the name to Stade IGA, after a major supermarket in Quebec. The stadium grounds is located in Jarry Park within the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.
Rebound Ace is a cushioned tennis hardcourt composed of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. It is manufactured and sold by California Products Corporation's Sports Surfaces division, a company based in Andover, Massachusetts, United States.
A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Clay courts are made of crushed stone, brick, shale, or other unbound mineral aggregate depending on the tournament.
Turf management or pitchcare describes the work needed to keep a sporting pitch ready for use. This article looks at the various types of sporting pitches and the type of challenges which they present.
The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. The tournament was founded in 1994 as the Tasmanian International Open, it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as an International tournament. It is competed on outdoor hardcourts, and is held in the run-up to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open as part of the Australian Open Series.
DecoTurf is a brand of tennis hardcourt constructed from layers of acrylic resin, rubber, silica, and other materials on top of an asphalt or concrete base. It is manufactured by the sports surfaces division of California Products Corporation, based in Andover, Massachusetts.
The 2008 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 96th edition of the Australian Open, and the first Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, from 14 through 27 January 2008.
Plexicushion is a brand of acrylic-based hardcourt tennis surface and one of the surface types used on the professional Association of Tennis Professionals and Women's Tennis Association tours. It is manufactured and sold by the sports surfaces division of California Products Corporation, a company based in Andover, Massachusetts, United States.
Esther Vergeer defeated Daniela di Toro in the final, 6–0, 6–0 to win the women's singles wheelchair tennis title at the 2011 Australian Open. It was her eighth Australian Open singles title and 17th major singles overall. It also marked the fourth time that Vergeer did not drop a game during a major final, and she only lost four games en route to the title. The win in the final was her 404th consecutive match win.
The 2011 Sony Ericsson Open, a men's and women's tennis tournament, was held from March 22 to April 3, 2011. It was the 27th edition of the Miami Masters event and played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park in Miami. The tournament was a part of 2011 ATP World Tour and 2011 WTA Tour, classified as ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Premier Mandatory event respectively.
GreenSet is a supplier of acrylic hardcourt surfaces used in many professional tennis events run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tours. It is made of layers of acrylic resin and silica on top of an asphalt or concrete base, for permanent facilities, or on top of a wooden platform, for venues with occasional use. The company is based in Barcelona, Spain.
SportMaster Sport Surfaces is a tennis hardcourt surface made from multiple layers of acrylic, silica sand, and other constituents. The system is applied on an asphalt or concrete substrate, and can be used indoor or outdoors in any climate. SportMaster Sport Surfaces are manufactured by ThorWorks Industries, Inc.
Laykold is a brand of tennis hardcourt constructed over an asphalt or concrete base. It can be constructed without cushion or with a cushion layer for better force reduction and longer player longevity. Court surfaces are made of various materials including rubber, silica, and acrylic resin. Laykold is manufactured by Advanced Polymer Technology.
...about cushioning...
Possible wood comeback?
about sand in court to slow it down
...layered...cushioned...
...Majors on Hardcourt...
...In the United States Tennis is played primarily on hard courts....
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