The Most Important Facts To Know When Playing On Clay

One of the more prestigious surfaces in the world of tennis is that of red clay. It's right up there with grass when it comes to tradition and history, and it's commonly used throughout Europe and South America today.

While these courts are common in other parts of the world, they're far more rare in America. Still, they do exist, and you should consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to play a match on this surface.

I thought it would be useful to throw together a quick guide for people playing tennis on clay courts, pointing out the areas of strength and weakness that arise on this surface.

First of all, the most effective strategy on this surface has always been one from the baseline. Players traditionally rely on powerful ground strokes as a means of winning their matches.

If you're a serve and volleyer or a net player, the impact of your game will most likely take a hit. Unfortunately, players with this strategy don't seem to fare as well on clay.

This is due to the fact that the ball moves more slowly on this surface, bouncing higher and giving your opponent more time to react to your shot.

The strategy on clay is very different from that of other courts. This is because of the speed and manner in which the ball moves after it hits the ground.

The ball bounces very slowly off the ground on a clay court, as the surface literally slows down its speed. This is a good thing if you're a baseline player, as you'll have more time to prepare for each shot.

Rallies are typically longer, and what you'd normally never be able to get to on a hard or grass court may be well within reach when it comes to clay.

If you're a fast runner, you'll certainly enjoy this aspect of the courts. It should come as no surprise that some of the best clay court players are the fastest ones.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

About the Author

Aside from sports, the writer additionally regularly contributes articles about car window cleaner and car carpet cleaning solutions.

by: Hal Gruber

Total views: 5 Word Count: 352 Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 Time: 11:11 AM - 0 comments

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