Grass Court Warm Up's

[Rob ITST]

I hate the 'grass season'.

I hate the term "grass season". It's THREE tournaments, and you can't even play all three because two of them happen at the same time.

Such a shame, really, because I think you'd see a lot more variety in the game if there were as many grass court tournaments as there are on clay.

[VillaJ100]

For everyone who hasn't played on a DECENT grass court, go out and find that sh**! It might be hard though outside the UK and Ireland such a shame. But in my opinion it is by far and away the best surface to play on.

I've played on it before and I'm not a fan of it. I prefer a good indoor court. Nothing better than consistent conditions and I love the sound of the hitting the ball indoors.

Good grass courts are very consistent

[Mudhoney]

despite being in a clay wannabe country (Portugal - where 70% of the national circuit is played in clay although most tennis clubs only have outdoor hardcourts) I have to agree that grass season is indeed short ... and I also agree with Tiger except my favourite place to play is an outdoor hardcourt, just a little breeze gives you the challenge of adjusting slightly as you switch court ... (also there are very little indoor tennis facilities here, and again, they are covered expensive clay courts ... well we do have 300 days of Sun in this country)

[VillaJ100]

To be honest for all the discussion of the upkeep of grass, which is very expensive, clay is pretty expensive to keep serviceable, it takes a crapload of water for example. I'm lucky i've actually played at the Edgbaston Priory club, where the AEGON classic women's tournament is taking place this week.

[tigerofintegrity]

Good grass courts are very consistent

I don't just mean the courts. I mean the weather conditions too. I find indoors best because it's all about the tennis, no other factors. If it's a tennis match it should be a 'who can play better tennis match' not a 'who can make the ball go out less with the wind blowing it all over the place match'.

[edlglide]

Good grass courts are very consistent

I don't just mean the courts. I mean the weather conditions too. I find indoors best because it's all about the tennis, no other factors. If it's a tennis match it should be a 'who can play better tennis match' not a 'who can make the ball go out less with the wind blowing it all over the place match'.

I think that's just part of playing tennis though....the same as other sports. Part of being a good golfer is being able to handle and play for the wind; I think the same is true for tennis. So...playing a better tennis match includes being able to handle the weather conditions.

I hate playing indoors; I'd rather play on any outdoor surface than play indoors.

Of course, I'm also TERRIBLE at tennis -- played a little when I was a kid, then just started playing again about a year ago.

[TomBs]

I play at my best on an indoor carpet. I prefer playing oustide though.

Clay courts are quite expensive to maintain yes. I hate them. Here in Belgium 99% is clay. Indoor usually some carpet, although also some clay.

There are a lot of clubs with really crap clay courts around here. I've played on a few good, but so many are just utter crap. At my current club the layer under the clay is totally wrong, so as long as the municipality doesn't get the new courts (there are plans, but of course football gets priority, so taking ages...) our courts are totally crap. You can't slide on them, lines are way above the court, a ball bouncing can literally leave a hole of 2 cm (if it wasn't there already anyway)

There are new techniques though, artificial clay for instance, looks promising.

Prefer hardcourts, but since it results in more injuries I can understand clubs having clay courts. Still there are alternatives available, cushion court for instance. I do get the feeling that clubs around here are just sticking in the past, sticking with their known clay courts, instead of looking at alternatives. Must say I grew up on the hardcourts.


Anyway, before I start a rage against clay courts...

I'd love to play on grass some time, despite having bad experience with artificial grass courts (they suck).

And yes, the grass season should be longer. Guess it's just that the only place where you can find them is in Britain (and for tournament's sake in Germany and Netherlands one or two).

[tigerofintegrity]

I think that's just part of playing tennis though....the same as other sports. Part of being a good golfer is being able to handle and play for the wind; I think the same is true for tennis. So...playing a better tennis match includes being able to handle the weather conditions.

That's different, golf is different. You can't really shove a golf course into a building so they have to make do with the wind. But why play in strong wind when you don't have to? Why make everyone's game 50% worse when you can avoid that?

Handling the weather conditions better does not mean you play a better tennis match. It means you handled weather conditions better. I'd rather give out merit on who played tennis better than who managed weather conditions better.

[jayl0ve]

I agree, I think all tennis should be indoors really...wind just makes for lower quality tennis

[Coolhand Texas]

I agree, I think all tennis should be indoors really...wind just makes for lower quality tennis

I really hope you were being sarcastic

[jayl0ve]

Nope, I hate the wind...I personally enjoy playing tennis outside but I don't think it's fun to watch 2 pros try to deal with hurricane force winds

[Coolhand Texas]

I think that handling all elements of the game, including nature is what makes great players, great. Having strong mental strength is a must when playing with windy conditions. Playing indoors, yes, you would get more of the big shot winners we all like to watch, but it would really be one-dimensional.

Just my opinion. I Like the current setup they have going on, just believe the grass court season should be just as long as the clay one though.

[tigerofintegrity]

I'm totally with Jay on this one. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love playing outdoors when conditions are perfect but I live in Ireland. Conditions are perfect once a year!

Don't see what's so attractive about playing or watching people struggle to play with strong wind or about to half die from heat exhaustion. I want to watch a tennis match, not a Bear Grylls extreme weather survival guide!

[djarvik]

Not sure about that. I love playing in the wind. It is another element of startegy. Handling the wind is one thing, making it work for you is totally another. Same with heat. Sure, for casual player it maybe to tough, but I enjoy heat. The hotter the better for me.

I think indoor tennis is great too. Consistent ball bounce, the echo of your otherwise weak strokes etc... I like it too.

I personally prefer a fast outdoor hard court.

[VillaJ100]

Have you played on grass al?

One thing I wouldn't recommend is playing on a wooden court, god damn I like fast courts but that is just ridiculous