Many tennis players perform better on courts with a certain type of surface. The ATP and WTA currently host competitions on the following courts:
- Herbal
- hardovyh
- Ground
- Synthetic
We will analyze all the coatings and find out the nuances of each of them.
grass courts
Grass courts are among the toughest. The rebound of the ball on them is the fastest. Serving tennis players have even more advantages over receiving ones. The best results are shown by tennis players with an accurate and strong serve, who know how to play well at the net. Federer, Sampras most loved to play at Wimbledon. They achieved phenomenal results here (8 and 9 victories in the finals of the tournament, respectively).
Servants who score 30 aces per match have a good chance of high results. Typical examples of such players are Ivanisevic, Greg Rusedski. It is better to bet on tall tennis players, like Mario Ancic, who can not only serve strongly and accurately, but also play well near the net.
You can bet on tennis players of the American school. These athletes perform confidently on fast courts and play well at the net. Spanish and Latin American tennis players don't play very well on grass. The exception is Nadal.
The most important tournament on grass is Wimbledon. A couple of preparatory tournaments of the middle hand are held in front of him.
hard courts
Many competitions are held on fast (hard) surfaces. Hardcore competitions are held both indoors and outdoors. Classic hardcovers in the USA and Canada. The bounce of the ball here is quite fast. Tennis players of the American school have the advantage.
Universal tennis players like the Argentines Del Potro and Nalbandian have good opportunities for successful performances. The first, for example, won the US Open. The bounce of the ball on hard is convenient for tennis players who play confidently near the net and on the back line.
Hard courts differ among themselves in the degree of rigidity. The softest hard courts in the Australian Championship. The ball here bounces a little faster than on the ground. They are specially made to ensure that all tennis players have the opportunity to show their best abilities.
If on grass courts good results can only be achieved through a powerful and accurate serve, then on hard courts it’s a little different. Yes, the filers have a good chance here. But if a tennis player comes across good reception, then the feed is not so decisive. You need to be able to play on different parts of the court.
The most prestigious hard tournaments are the championships of the USA and Australia. It is better to bet on well-serving athletes and representatives of the American school. From tennis strategies on hard, it is best suited for a serving tennis player.
clay courts
Clay courts have a soft rebound. The draws here are long, and there are not so many aces. Representatives of the Spanish school have the advantage here. Classical presentations and representatives of the American school do not show the best results here.
Typical examples are the performances at the French Open by Federer and Sampras. The first recently won the tournament, and the second never even made it to the final. Although both are the greatest athletes.
At the same time, Rafael Nadal won the French Open 10 times. This once again shows how much the commitment of tennis players to a certain type of courts affects.
Professional tennis competitions are held on two types of clay surfaces: European (red) and green. The first are held in Spain, France, Milan, Monte Carlo. They have the slowest rebound. Representatives of the Spanish school train on such courts. For matches on the ground it is promising to use
There are green clay courts in the US, Latin America and the UK. The rebound of the ball on them is slower than on the Australian Open, but faster than on the red clay courts.
The most prestigious clay tournament is the French Open. In the spring, tournaments are held in Rome, Hamburg, Monte Carlo, belonging to the Masters category.
Indoor competitions are held on a special synthetic surface. Here the bounce of the ball can be very different. It all depends on the type of material from which the coatings are made. Of the prestigious tournaments in the hall, the Masters in Paris and Shanghai stand out. After them, the final tournament is held with the participation of 8 best tennis players.
Before placing bets, you need to know if artificial courts are slow or fast. Tournaments on slow synthetics are suitable for betting on universal and clay tennis players who prefer combination tennis.
On courts with fast synthetics, it is preferable to bet on representatives of the American school. Good results on hard synthetic courts are achieved by the so-called filed.
You can find out the type of artificial turf on the official website of the ATP and on the websites of tournaments.
Live tennis bets on different surfaces
If you know well the features of the game of tennis players on various surfaces, then you can make profitable bets during a tennis match.
The most interesting options are if the match went into the 3rd set. At this moment, sufficient statistics of the match, an idea of the course of the game, has been formed. Ideally, if you have a live TV broadcast in front of your eyes. You can most accurately assess the chances of opponents.
In addition, each break point or even an advantage on the opponent's serve greatly changes the odds set, and this is a good time to catch. Often, online betting is used only to get the best odds on the favorite. This is usually done in the first set, optimally, so that the opponent serves first and for some time everyone takes his serve. The required ratio should rise.
Sometimes they do so. Before the match, a bet is made against a highly overrated favorite. At the same time, the enemy is not helpless, and the odds are great. In the first set, there is usually an equal game and the coefficient on the leader rises to a value at which a “fork” comes with a bet made before the match.
On hard courts and grass courts, the odds for a receiving tennis player to win a game are very high due to the large advantage of the server. If you notice the decline of one of the tennis players in time, when he makes a lot of mistakes in the first serves, then you can bet on the victory of his opponent at the reception.
On slow clay surfaces, matches often drag on. Here it is useful to catch matches in which the favorite lost the first set and bet on his victory in the match at high odds.
Tennis can be played on a wide variety of surfaces – clay, grass, hard courts, and more. Despite the fact that certain surfaces for playing tennis are very popular - we will talk about all the possible options for the courts.
Ground coatings
Clay courts (see the photo in the announcement of the article) are universal sports grounds equally suitable for sports such as tennis, volleyball, basketball, badminton, mini-football. Over the years, clay courts have proven to be excellent playgrounds for the high demands of professional and amateur sports.
Structurally, a clay court is a certain system of adding natural materials, culminating in a unique playing surface, consisting of a special TENNISIT surface. Such sites do not require serious preparation and global construction work. If you are a builder, by choosing a sports ground, you will save yourself from unnecessary trouble and financial costs.
Help for the builder
In terms of order fulfillment, "soils" are the fastest in the production of work from 7 to 30 days, depending on the scope of work and technical conditions for the site. The estimated cost of a turnkey clay tennis court is from 23 USD. per sq.m.
Playing on a clay court is comfortable and safe, the player experiences gentle physical exercise on the spine, knees, and ligaments of the legs. The level of ball rebound on unpaved surfaces is average.
Using the recommendations of experts, and instructions for the maintenance and service of the clay court, you will create for yourself a magnificent active recreation area and a favorite venue healthy lifestyle life. Competitions on a clay court will give you a lot of pleasure and pleasant emotions.
Coating "Hard" is one of the most popular sports surfaces in the world. It is on the "Hard" that the US Open championships are held and Australian Open, as well as WTA and ATP tournaments. The wide spread of hard is due to the ideal sports characteristics of the surface of the surface, in particular, hard has a high return energy, combined with the absorption of impact energy, providing a comfortable game and good visibility of the ball on the court.
Coatings "Hard" are developed on the basis of acrylic and do not contain any harmful substances and impurities, being, in essence, an environmentally friendly product. The undoubted advantage of these coatings is durability, practicality and 100% adaptation of the acrylic structure to difficult conditions Russian climate, thereby qualifying the Hard surface as a high-quality all-weather court surface. Simple, low-cost maintenance will allow you to constantly keep the tennis court in working condition.
Qualitatively, the “hard” coating is a multilayer cake based on several types of acrylic compositions, each of which carries a certain functional load.
All mixtures are initially in a liquid state. In the process of applying the "Hard" coating, in accordance with the requirements of the Customer, all the necessary characteristics of the coating (including the speed of the ball rebound) are set, the number of layers and their composition varies. At the same time, the number of layers, in principle, does not affect the speed characteristics of the court, the speed and height of the rebound is determined by the composition of the surface layer, in particular, the content of a special filler (melted, polished quartz sand).
The "hard" coating is easily repaired and restored by updating the surface layers. Unlike clay courts, "Hard" is not whimsical to maintain and requires virtually no maintenance.
As features that distinguish "Hard" from other types of sports surfaces can be distinguished:
- stable rebound of the ball, the speed of which is determined at the time of coating;
- the possibility of using softening layers that absorb the impact of the foot and at the same time do not affect the speed of the game;
- preservation of elasticity by the coating in a wide temperature range from ± 50 ° С;
- high resistance of the coating to abrasion, fading, as well as to the effects of ultraviolet rays, durability of the coating (the first restoration, renewal will be required only after 7-10 years of operation);
- a wide range of colors that allows the Customer to choose the colors of the coating to their liking;
- matte coating, completely eliminating light glare;
- equally well suited for both indoor and outdoor courts.
Such high performance is achieved due to the technology of coating the surface with minimal deviations from the ideal surface plane, as well as due to the leveling system and layer-by-layer coating by "pouring".
The multi-layer coating in combination with the system of functional purpose of each layer makes it possible to exclude the influence of the inhomogeneity of the base on the characteristics of the coating and achieve exceptional uniformity of the coating not only in color and speed characteristics of the court, but also in texture.
Hard is applied on asphalt, concrete, wooden substrates, as well as regulative substrates. Asphalt should be finely dispersed with minimal porosity. A concrete base, unlike an asphalt base, is additionally treated with a special solution (which explains the rise in the cost of a coating configuration for concrete compared to a similar one for asphalt). In the case of a concrete base, the presence of waterproofing is also mandatory.
When applied to a regular carpet and wooden bases, a special reinforcing mesh is used. The standard surface flatness of any tennis court base is 3 mm by 3 meters (4 mm by 4 meters is the highest standard).
Leveling of the prepared base can be done with a mosaic grinder with abrasive segments or a special leveling compound (Court Patch Binder). The need and technology of leveling depends on the quality of the base (the presence of cracks, surface porosity, the number of saucers and their depth) and is determined by a specialist based on the results of the inspection of the base.
Types of hard surfaces
There are two main types of "Hard" coatings - this is "Pure Hard" (without the use of softening layers) and "Softened Hard" (hard cushion).
"Pure Hard" is a system of acrylic layers with durable color, consisting of a leveling layer of a rough overlap (Acrylic Resurfacer) and several functional color layers (Acrylic Color) ending with marking lines (Tex Line). "Pure Hard" is the toughest and fastest tennis surface and is aimed at fans of fast tennis with a rapid exit to the net and a quick ball rally.
dignity "Relaxed Hard" is that this coating is more comfortable for the legs, significantly reduces the load on the ligaments and joints of the legs, reduces the risk of injury, has various degrees of softening and at the same time has a uniform ball rebound. As additional layers in the “Smoothed Hard”, in contrast to the “Pure Hard”, poured rubber or a combination of different fractions of rubber granules or a regular carpet is used. This allows you to create an exceptional coating that provides shock absorption and a high level of comfort inherent in all courts of the Hard Cushing system.
As a rule, in order to better distinguish the boundaries of the playing field, the courts are made in two colors, while darker tones than the races are used as the color of the playing court. Often dark muted tones are chosen that do not hit the eyes. Basic colors: dark green, green, light green, blue, red. Each additional layer of Cushion compacts and levels the coating by 1-1.5 mm.
"Taraflex" is a roll coating consisting of a compacted top layer, a soft substrate and reinforced with a fiberglass mesh. It is produced in various modifications and is used for both amateur and professional classes. Two installation options are possible - stationary, with gluing to the base and welding, and mobile - with attachment to the base with double-sided tape.
Rolled rubber mats are prefabricated and have a guaranteed constant thickness, which allows you to set the pace of the game on the court when choosing the type of surface. Usually these are slow courts. Playing on such a court is very comfortable and completely eliminates injuries to athletes.
A rubber court is similar in nature and bounce speed to a clay court, but requires little to no maintenance. The rubber coating is laid on a base similar to the base of a hard court and with a slight slope to drain water from the surface of the court.
Purpose of Taraflex coating
Stationary covering for indoor gyms multi-purpose professional grade.
Taraflex coating structure
Top layer 2.1mm clear calendered textured vinyl treated with PROTECSOL. The PROTECSOL treatment (creating a polyurethane layer) ensures ease of maintenance and protects the coating from footprints, thus extending its service life.
The fiberglass mesh contributes to the distribution of deformation under the pressure of the athlete's leg in the floor covering, which gives him greater freedom of movement (for turning the foot, sudden movements). 4.4mm closed cell PVC foam acts like an air cushion to ensure athlete comfort and safety while meeting shock absorption requirements. The total thickness is 6.5 mm. The coating is subjected to factory treatment SANOSOL - through antifungal and antimicrobial impregnation.
The coating has the appropriate characteristics for practicing sports such as basketball, handball, volleyball, badminton, hockey, tennis:
– shock absorption is 35%
- high energy efficiency
– high degree of sound insulation
- resistance to abrasion, etc.
Taraflex coating device
The coating device is made on a specially prepared concrete base in accordance with the requirements of SNiP 3.04.01-87 "Insulating and finishing coatings". The gluing of the coating is carried out using special adhesives, the joints of the coating are welded using a welding cord and special equipment. A colored marking is applied over the laid coating.
Toward the end of July, the ATP tour moves to hard. Atlanta Open, Washington Open, masters in Cincinnati and Montreal and, of course, the US Open Grand Slam tournament - these are the most spectacular (but not all) tournaments that gather thousands of tennis fans watching the battles on the courts.
What is the difference between matches on hard and games on grass and clay? What you need to know to do accurate forecasts on the outcome of the meeting? Let's figure it out.
Hard is one of the most popular and versatile tennis surfaces in the world. The prevalence of hardcover is determined by the well-established sports characteristics for tournament organizers. The organizers call the main advantage of hardwood over other coatings a decorative and aesthetic appearance, ease of maintenance and, most importantly, durability and resistance to any weather conditions.
Types of hard tennis
Hard is a multi-layer coating based on acrylic, each layer of which carries a certain functional load. There are several varieties of hard. By changing the number of layers, different types have different quality and speed characteristics. According to the ITF CS 01/01 classification, hard surfaces are divided into 5 types: 1 slow (slow), 2 medium slow (medium slow), 3 medium (medium), 4 medium fast (medium fast), 5 fast (fast).
Coatings are made with a rough surface and are classified as "non-slip".
There are two main types of hard:
"Pure hard" - does not contain softening layers of acrylic, which is why it is the hardest, fastest and most traumatic surface. Widely used in modern tennis, has a relatively low cost. It is to the taste of fans of aggressive, fast tennis, tennis players with a good serve, playing one or two strokes, who prefer to go as often as possible to the net (Karlovich, Federer can be attributed to this type of tennis player).
"Softened hard" as additional layers contains bulk rubber or rubber granules to soften the court, which allows you to create cushioning and more comfortable playing conditions. It is softening that is a special advantage of "softened hard" over "pure". This coating is more comfortable for the legs, significantly reduces the load on the ligaments and joints, and reduces the injury rate of athletes. It is "softening hard" that is the golden mean and universal coverage.
Serve/receive on open court tennis
About coverage rate for 2017:
Serving and receiving a serve on an open hard is a cross between the performance of these elements on and . Here the basic rule applies: the faster the cover, the more important the reception and a high percentage of hitting the first serve, and, conversely, the slower the cover, the more important the speed of the first serve and the active reception.
Most often on open hard it is important to quickly serve the first ball and be able to aggressively receive the second serve of the opponent. This is due to the fact that the organizers prefer to put slower and slower hard surfaces. Still, the game on slow surfaces is more meaningful and spectacular.
Nick Bollettieri, coach of Boris Becker and Andre Agassi, gave his opinion on hard court tactics: "A strong serve with access to the net, variable rebound shots that allow you to win a point from one or two hits or allow you to control the situation on the court, a strong reception of the serve - these are the techniques that can lead to success. When choosing tactics of play during a match, we need to know with whom to face on the court, to analyze the stylistic features of the opponent.
The influence of weather conditions on the game of outdoor hard tennis
What separates outdoor hard court from clay, grass, and indoor play is the ever-changing environment. The hall is the hall, everything is the same there. Grass and soil pass over a rather narrow time period (May - June) and on the same continent. So the external conditions on these coatings are relatively constant.
But open hard takes place on different continents and in different weather conditions. Here's what tennis players themselves say about this.
Boris Becker about hard outdoors: “It was this coating that caused injuries to many tennis players. Under the hot sun at the Australian Open, such a court becomes slippery like ice, then viscous like a swamp - it’s like playing in hell. In addition, a very unpleasant, heavy smell comes from hot synthetics. "
In the United States, strong winds often blow, in which case tennis players who play with strong rotation gain an advantage. Their strikes are more reliable and the wind has less effect on the accuracy of the strikes. Miami and Cincinnati are always very hot and humid. These tournaments are a real test of endurance. In addition, they are paired with the Indian Wales and Canada Masters, which take place a week before they start.
Technique for playing outdoor tennis
The technique of playing on open hard is associated primarily with the average pace. So, on fast surfaces, a tennis player can build on his strengths first of all. If a tennis player knows how to serve powerfully, he should bet on the serve. If he knows how to play ahead of the game, he must move and shoot even faster. On slow surfaces, power and endurance come to the fore. Here a tennis player may not have a smart technique, the ground will smooth out the roughness. The key is power...
On open hard, the main thing is not to have weaknesses. Here, any of your weaknesses is an advantage for the opponent. So, if you have a weak reception, it throws you far, compared to tennis players with a good reception. You don't have a pitch, again, it will be difficult for you to compensate. Weak backhand - and there is not much time to run under the forehand on open hard. So you need to train your backhand. In general, on open hard, universal tennis players have an advantage, and it doesn’t matter that you don’t have the best forehand in the world, the main thing is that there are no weak elements in the game.
Life hacks for betting on open hard
1. Avoid betting on large negative odds. If there are no bright signals, it is better not to touch the handicap of -4.0 or more. This is due to the fact that breaking on hard is still difficult. And more often than not, you will see a standard break in every set.
Tip: bet based on the final score 6:4, 6:4.
2. Pay attention to the schedule, when there are matches and the temperature. It is extremely difficult to play on open hard during the day when the sun is at its zenith. At +30 it is difficult to show your the best game. However, there are a number of nuances here. The favorite may try to finish the match as soon as possible in order to spend less time under the scorching sun. Then you will see large negative odds.
Tip: The heat can force the favorite to finish the match sooner, which gives a chance to pass a large handicap.
3. On open hard, tennis players with a weak backhand are quite vulnerable. (Forehand is usually good for everyone, even the top 300 is good). Many tennis players, including North Americans with their weak backhand, are vulnerable on open hard. Here, however, it is necessary to take into account the physical form of a tennis player. (If a tennis player in great shape, he will have time to run under the forehand).
Tip: bet on left-handers more often.
4. Accurate score for sets. Often 2:0 (3:0 for TBSH) in sets is a great alternative to a negative handicap. The favorites don't want to spend too much time on the court, so they better tighten up and finish in 2 sets. Here it is better not to abuse it, but instead of F. -4.0, it is better to play a pair of 2:0 in sets. The conditions for passing these two bets are mostly the same. The favorite must finish in two sets, otherwise the handicap will not work (and the exact score in sets will not work either).
Advice: A good alternative to a handicap of -4.0 or -4.5 is to bet 2-0 on the favourite.
5. Plus handicap on open hard. It is easier to defend the serve on closed hard than on the ground. So, just like on fast surfaces, any +5.5 handicap should be carefully considered. Here, the underdog can play better than you planned, and the favorite can screw up.
Tip: Always consider a +5.5 handicap as a potential bet on hard.
Well, just a cool game from Federer at the tournament in Miami this year.
A tennis court intended for professional use must be safe, comfortable, and appropriate for specific conditions.
Hard is the most popular and frequently used surface coating modification for tennis courts in the world. It is appropriate for creating both indoor and outdoor courts. Many large tennis tournaments, which previously took place on grass and clay courts, decided to change the type of surface and completely switched to Hard from various manufacturers. This is due, to a greater extent, to the incredible ease of maintenance of Hard, which saves a lot of money. Also plays a role and "handling" coverage. On the grass, as well as on the ground, the course of the game can be unexpected for the players: the surface is a little wet, and the rebound has already changed a lot.
As you know, asphalt, concrete, wooden structures, as well as special Regupol rubber mats can be the basis for such a coating. The composition of the Hard varies depending on the purpose of the creator. With the addition of crumb rubber, acrylic and polyester mixtures, you can vary the technical properties of the tennis court: get the desired rebound height, give the necessary softness or, on the contrary, hardness to the floor. The customer can coordinate the creation of coverage by making a list of requirements.
Hard is sold in liquid form - in large cylinders. It is poured onto the base layer by layer. There can be from three to fourteen layers in total, the total number of which affects the height of the rebound, care for the ankle joints of the players (the softer the Hard, the less traumatic it is) and the overall level of quality. Multi-layer compositions belong to the "luxury" class, they are safer and more comfortable for athletes' ligaments.
The benefits of coverage are:
- wear resistance - it withstands both traumatic loads and atmospheric influences - the average service life is about 10 years without updates;
- resistance to temperature influences in the range from minus fifty degrees to plus fifty;
- does not fade under ultraviolet;
- the surface does not glare;
- a wide range of colors in which you can choose the most suitable shades;
- strength;
- environmental friendliness - there are no harmful emissions or fumes;
- no seams, complete solidity;
- you can plan the desired rebound height;
- acceptable price;
- the ability to adjust the softness and level of cushioning of the coating by adding softening layers.
- the first time after laying hard, you can notice a strong wear of balls and shoes, this is due to the special adhesion properties of the surface. After a short period, this defect disappears, and the wear of paraphernalia goes to the same level as the ground coatings;
- special tennis shoes and soft, padded socks are required; this makes it possible to reduce the load on the ankle joint.
Hard coating features
At the moment, Hard coating is divided into two main varieties: "Pure Hard" and "Soft Hard".Many are familiar with English titles: "Clean Hard" and "Hard Cushion"
- Clean Hard (clean Hard)- most used on the courts for professional tennis players. This coating gives athletes the opportunity to play quickly, developing and honing their skills. It consists of three to five elements: base base, leveling mixture, final color layer. Its main difference from the soft counterpart is the absence of softening intermediate layers.
- Hard Cushion (soft Hard)- the essence of this type of Hard is reflected in the name: "cushion" - translated from English "pillow", "litter", "soften". Engineers added several soft layers between the main ones to achieve a shock-absorbing effect. Their number can be from one to nine. The more soft layers added by manufacturers, the more protected will be the bone and articular systems players.
Each applied layer of coating levels and raises the overall height by one and a half millimeters. In general, the use of soft Hard on the courts for amateur tennis players is more justified than laying hard Hard. Excess load on the body of the players will not do any good. This is especially true when it comes to beginners who have just decided to learn how to play tennis.
If we talk about the color palette of both types of coverage, then it can be called rich: a variety of shades to choose from allow the owner of the court to choose either matching colors of the races and the playing area, or, conversely, emphasize one of them in contrast.
Combining layers
Now let's talk about specific subspecies of Hard coverage. As we have already said, Hard is divided into two large groups: pure Hard and soft Hard. But each of them, in turn, is divided into several subgroups, which depend on the quantity and quality of the coating layers.So, Hard is clean:
- 3 layers: base + leveling + color coating
- 4 layers: base + unifying layer + alignment + color
- 5 layers: base + 2 unifying + alignment + color
- 6 layers: base + 2 unifying + 2 leveling + color
Soft Hard shares:
- 7 layers: base + unifying + 2 softening layers (Cushion) + 2 leveling + color
- 8 layers: base + unifying + 3 softening + 2 leveling + color
- 10 layers: base + unifying + 4 softening + 3 leveling + color
- 11 layers: base + unifying + 4 emollients + 2 emollients (Ultracushion) +3 leveling + color
- 12 layers: base + unifying + 4 emollients + 2 emollients (Ultracushion) + 3 leveling + color
- 13 layers: base + unifying + 4 emollients + 3 emollients (Ultracushion) + 3 leveling + color
- 14 layers: base + unifying + 4 emollients + 4 emollients (Ultracushion) + 3 leveling + color
Coating technology
The coating is brought to the facility in liquid form, and the installation of the floor on the court consists in pouring one layer after another onto the selected base. The basis can be either concrete and asphalt, or wood-based panels, and even regupol.On asphalt
- If the customer chooses to lay the coating on an asphalt pad, then it is necessary to check its quality. Asphalt should be fine, without large inclusions and large pores on the surface. In the case when the contractor also performs the installation of the asphalt base, then a coarse layer about five centimeters in size is placed first. A second layer of fine crumbs of four centimeters is poured on top. All this is rolled, while maintaining the level of the slope of the surface at 1 degree. The implementation of an asphalt cushion without a slope will lead to the collection of rain moisture on the pavement. Fresh asphalt, like concrete, must be cured in dry weather for at least one and a half to two weeks. It is important to examine the surface for cracks - if they are, it will not work to lay the Hard in a quality manner.
On concrete
- The concrete platform for the court needs even more attention. It should have a thickness of at least 12 centimeters (and preferably more) and have a strength of twenty millipascals. To get rid of the film of cement on concrete, it is necessary to treat it with 70% acid (orthophosphoric is more often used). This is a rather dangerous activity that is best left to professionals to avoid injury. The following requirements are imposed on concrete, which will be the basis for covering the tennis court: it must not contain additional hardeners and sealants. And just before pouring the upper layers, you need to scrupulously check the absence of dirt, oil stains and other substances that interfere with adhesion. The option with a concrete base for a tennis court is more expensive, just because of the additional procedures for cleaning the material. It is also important not to forget about the waterproofing protection for the concrete pad.
Other options
- If it is impossible to use concrete or asphalt as a base for coating, then you should pay attention to wooden flooring or regupol mats. A layer of reinforcing special mesh is laid on them.
The base must be level. The evenness of the surface should be approximately 3 millimeters by 3 meters. Ideally 4 millimeters by 4 meters. This is done using a specialized grinding machine, on which the abrasive is located. Also a good option would be a high-quality leveling mixture. The choice of a particular alignment method will depend on the condition of the base sole.
The technological process of laying Hard can be classified as complex and requiring skills. The slightest violation of the preparation steps can lead to damage to the coating material in the future, during use. It is necessary to follow the instructions for mixing the working composition very strictly, to control its concentration, depending on the presence of pores in the base layer, and also to monitor general weather conditions.
It is unacceptable to lay the coating in rainy, snowy or foggy weather. Moisture must not get on the filled layers. If a general worsening of the weather is expected, then the pouring of the coating is postponed to another time, and the place of work is covered. The drying time of each layer depends on the temperature regime. In an open place, a day is allocated for drying - again, taking into account atmospheric fluctuations. And in closed halls, each layer is left alone for three days.
Maintenance of hard tennis courts
If we compare daily maintenance and care tennis court with a Hard surface and a court, say, with a clay surface, we will see that the Hard is much less demanding and easier to handle. The clay court needs constant watering, cleaning, rolling. While Hard is cleared only of applied leaves and villi of balls.But the cleaning of material in an indoor and outdoor court has differences. The maintenance of closed options consists in vacuuming the surface and removing dirt, dust, and possible traces of the players' shoes. Two to three times a month, a floor scrubber should walk over the coating, with installed brushes of medium hardness.
For open room a blowing vacuum cleaner is used that displaces debris outside the grid (after that it is collected with ordinary brushes). Particular attention should be paid to branches and leaves of shrubs and trees surrounding the site. Also, several times a month, the coating is qualitatively washed. To do this, either a special sink or a disk machine for cleaning floors is used.
On a court covered with Hard, the use of harsh detergents based on acids and alkalis is prohibited - this will ulcerate the surface of the floor. It is also unacceptable that fire or hot objects hit the material.
Shoes must strictly comply with the standards of the Federation, do not have sharp heels and spikes. You can’t ski with sticks in races in winter - sticks also damage the top layers of the coating.
If the Hard is already laid, no welding work can be done on the court area, because sparks can burn through the surface.
Coating Hard Hard
Over time, repairs need to be made in a timely manner. This will avoid many problems in the future. The surface may suffer due to temperature changes, moisture accumulation, physical damage. If a concrete base can last fifteen years without repair, and, of course, an audit should be carried out, then the top coating must be restored every five to seven years.The general repair of the court is a rather time-consuming procedure, it includes two stages and stretches for seven to ten days.
First stage:
- the court is being cleaned;
- the coating is scrupulously washed;
- the floor is cleared to concrete;
- the specialist evaluates the size of cracks, potholes, and also forms the necessary plan for restoration work.
- the destroyed layer of concrete is removed to a strong level (it is extremely rare that it becomes necessary to remove the entire concrete or asphalt - this is typical for completely abandoned courts);
- all areas are cleaned;
- deep cracks and pits are filled with special means (it is wrong to use standard fillers to cover Hard);
- the entire coating is polished;
- mortgages are set for the grid and other attributes;
- then all the functional Hard layers of the selected type are sequentially applied (we have already said that this type of coating has several varieties);
- the final surface layer will be a colored acrylic coating (the color is chosen by the customer, it may differ from the previous version);
- all marking lines are mounted;
- the grid is stretched, which is fixed in the center according to the specified parameters.
Undoubtedly, no one will recommend repairing the court yourself. To do this, you need to have not only professional knowledge and experience, but also a significant amount of specialized equipment. Buying it results in amounts that are several times higher than the cost of servicing in the performing company. Also, many who decide to do this do not think through storage space. In 9 out of 10 cases self repair coatings in the process of use, a variety of flaws and shortcomings come out.
If you clearly set out to carry out the renovation of Hard personally, you need to carefully prepare for the task: study the technical material and work methodology, purchase the necessary raw materials and blanks, equipment and auxiliary devices.
It is worth remembering that:
- cracks and potholes are repaired in different ways;
- standard fillers to fill the voids will harm the overall quality of the Hard;
- it is necessary to purchase material only from trusted suppliers, in order to avoid the supply of a low-quality product;
- before filling, all dents and damage are thoroughly dried, this requires additional devices;
- cleaning and grinding is carried out without avoiding a single section of the material - this allows you to improve grip, maintain the desired slope;
- in the case of repairing only the upper layers, it is necessary to carry out the repair as carefully as possible so as not to touch the lower layers.
Hard's next significant appearance on the stage was the Australian Open. Tennis players were already playing on Hard, which had another patented name - Plaxipave. This material was developed under the auspices of Harvard University, and continues to be improved to this day. The manufacturer has signed an agreement with the organizers of the Australian Open, as well as with many other official representatives of the ATP tournaments. It is known that Plaxicushion modification is used at these tournaments - that is, judging by the name, soft Hard.
Playing on a tennis court covered with Hard has its own specific features. According to highly qualified coaches, such as, for example, Nick Bolletierri, who manages the professional development of Andre Agassi and Boris Becker, the game on such a surface should be based on a strong serve followed by a pass to the net. If an athlete competes on Hard, he should strive to win points quickly: with a couple of strokes. The game should be strong, with a sharp aggressive serve. This allows you to be successful. But, of course, it is necessary to analyze the state of opponents. When playing against the weaknesses of other tennis players, the athlete must be able to connect them with the characteristics of a particular court.
The technical strategy on the open court with Hard is based on maintaining an average pace of the game, while emphasizing on powerful serves. If endurance and endurance play a decisive role on slow surfaces, then on fast surfaces (Hard is one of them), it is important to rely on your strengths: a good serve, a fast pace of the game, the ability to beat off unexpected rebounds.
But today, many competition organizers prefer slower courts so that tournaments become brighter, more spectacular, more colorful. And they had a lot of time. Although no one canceled the role of weather conditions - the temperature at the Australian Open sometimes just rolls over, so the audience is unlikely to like excessively long matches. And the organizers of this competition report that every year they make the coverage faster, while guaranteeing complete reliability and safety of the game.
If you are not ready to make expensive purchases of the above-mentioned foreign materials, you can find many excellent quality options for Hard in our country. The tennis coating market in Russia includes products that were produced in America, Europe, and Australia. For example: Casaly comes from Italy, Herculan from Holland, Latex from the UK, Novacrylic from the USA. France supplies us with Courtsol, Spain with Greenset and Turkey with Acryflex.
But it must be clearly understood that the price of a product is 40%, and sometimes more, made up of transportation costs. Shipping by sea is very expensive. Accordingly, many European companies sell their Hards at extremely high prices. In addition, the euro exchange rate today shows a stable growth.
The way out of this situation for Russian tennis fans will be to order products that are produced in Russian Federation. High-quality raw materials, proper installation and care will be the key to great game for many years.
12.05.2016
Grass courts (grass courts)
A fast type of court with low ball bounce. Grass is the oldest type of surface and has been used since the advent of tennis. Currently, this is the least common type of court due to the difficulty of maintaining them, high operating costs, dependence on climatic conditions and high demands on the professionalism of the players. The quality of a grass court depends on the height and density of the grass, as well as the type, hardness and moisture of the soil.
Clay courts
A slow type of court with a high, possibly unpredictable ball bounce, although depending on the quality of the surface materials and maintenance, a smooth and predictable bounce can be achieved.
Soil is the most common type of tennis court coverage, due to its relative cheapness and minimal injury risk.
The top coating of clay courts consists of a mixture of clay, sand and brick or stone chips, rubber or plastic chips can be added. Most often, for the device of the upper layer of a clay court, a mixture of "tennisit" is used. During maintenance, clay courts need periodic watering, leveling, cleaning of marking lines, if necessary, filling up and compacting (rolling). Clay courts require a high-quality watering and drainage system, thanks to which the court will absorb excess moisture and at the same time not dry out too much in the heat.
Hard courts (hard)
They are characterized by a very fast and stable rebound of the ball, depending on the surface structure, they can be somewhat faster or slower. Courts with a hard surface are less comfortable than the ground (a hard surface increases the load on the spine, legs and joints), and more traumatic (high grip of shoes with the surface and lack of slippage can cause injury). Self-leveling coatings of hard courts are several acrylic layers of different composition, which are applied to an asphalt, concrete or wooden base. The most common hard court acrylic coating is Regupol. This is a five-layer coating, when applied, it is possible to obtain various characteristics in terms of speed and comfort. HARD coatings, unlike soil and grass coatings, are all-weather, can be used both outdoors and indoors, are fairly easy to repair, and practically do not require regular maintenance.
Synthetic carpet courts
The slowest, although depending on the type of material, thickness, number of layers, the characteristics of the ball rebound can vary significantly. Carpets can be rolled or tiled, laid on any hard and even base. This type of coating is used mainly indoors, for indoor courts. The most popular among coatings of this type are Taraflex and Supreme. Teraflex and Supreme coatings are multilayer synthetic coatings that are characterized by high strength, low injury risk due to the presence of shock-absorbing layers. Another type of carpet is artificial grass, which is characterized by softness, good glide, all-weather performance, low stress on the spine, legs and joints of the players. Synthetic carpets are recognized by both professional players and amateurs.
There are other types of surfaces and surfaces of tennis courts, such as wood. Such coatings can be used for training purposes, for elementary tennis training for children and adults. Professional-level training and competitions are not held on courts with such coverage.