What is a tennis court? This is a flat, orthogonal playground, prepared for an old English tennis game.
Dimensions
The lines shown along the long sides of the court are called side lines, along the short sides - back. Beyond the borders of the layout there is additional space for moving players.
The tennis court is 26 yards (23.78 m) long and 12 yards (10.97 m) wide for doubles or 9 yards (8.23 m) single.
A net is pulled in the middle of the tennis court. It divides it into two equal parts and is attached along the entire width of the court, parallel to the back lines. The racks of the grid are located behind the side lines, at a range of one yard (914 mm). The height of the net at the uprights is 1 yard 6 inches (1.07 m), in the middle part where it is attached to the court cover, 1 yard (914 mm). Her upper edging is highlighted with a white ribbon.
The court (tennis) is divided into service areas by using service lines that are parallel to the net and the back lines: they are placed at a distance of 7 yards from the net and are drawn only between the side lines created for a single player game. The site also has a center feed line, which is drawn in the middle of the court between the feed lines parallel to the side lines. The main feature of the filing is shown on the grid using a white vertical strip stretched from the surface of the playing field to its upper edge.
On the back lines of the playing field, a small mark is applied dividing them in half. All stripes drawn on the field are part of it. If the ball touches the line, it counts. It turns out that the outer edges of the court lines are its border.
Interesting Facts
It is known that in 1873 Major Wingfield patented the principles of lawn tennis. In those days, the court was created in the shape of a watch: it was narrowed in the center, the height of the net was 5 feet, the side ones moved away from the base net along its sides.
The court (tennis) changed its shape in 1877: it became rectangular. The height of its grid and the distance from the feed line to the grid were irrevocably approved in 1882.
Coating
It is known that there are various types of coatings for courts: ground, grass, carpet, parquet, concrete, hard (hard court), wooden, asphalt, rubber. Coverage acts on the bounce of the ball, so the policy of playing on tennis courts with different coatings may differ radically.
Today, among professional tennis players there are a large number of players showing their first-class game only on specific types of flooring. However, they are content with very minor achievements on others.
Green courts
A grass court (tennis) has been used for tennis since its appearance. The name lawn tennis comes from the English word lawn, which translates as "lawn, lawn." The sites of this species differ in that their parameters may vary depending on the state of the grass. Of all the types of courts, it is on them that the ball can bounce low and quickly from the surface.
Usually, when competing on grass fields, the advantage is considered to be a powerful serve and a game in the spirit of serve and volley (serving the ball, after which the player instantly goes to the net).
The Wimbledon tournament is usually held on grass courts. The most powerful players on the courts of this kind are usually considered tennis players from the UK and Australia.
Ground Courts
To create a ground court flooring, mixtures of sand, clay, stone or crushed brick are used, often with the addition of rubber or plastic chips. The soil site always has a dark green or red-brown color.
Such courts have always been considered the most inhibited, with a high ball rebound. Of course, the pace of the game on them is the slowest, with long draws. On a dirt platform, tennis players practice gliding when moving on it and at the time of strikes.
On the courts of this kind, the open championship of France is always organized. The most successful players in these fields are usually athletes from South America, France and Spain.
Paved areas
What are hardwood courts? They are very fast, but the agility of the ball ricochet on them is less than on grassy areas. The construction of tennis courts of this kind is particularly specific: their base can be made of asphalt or concrete, which are covered from above with a colored synthetic layer that gives some properties to the rebound of the ball.
Ricochet can vary in height and speed on different types of hard coating. Some varieties of coatings acquired their own names: Rebound Ace, Plexipave, TeraFlex, DecoTurf, AC Play (Russia).
Such venues host the US Open Championship (DecoTurf Flooring) and Australian Open Championship (Plexicushion Flooring). Interestingly, both events were first held on grass courts.
In general, such coatings are called “hard”. Their materials are aqueous acrylic compounds. The flooring can consist of 3, 4, and even 12 layers, performing various functions: color finishing layers, leveling the base and softening.
Carpeted areas
Courts with carpet flooring - this is some kind of solid foundation, covered with artificial carpet. Here, the properties of the rebound of the ball differ depending on the structure, thickness and raw material of which the carpet is made.
Since the surface of these courts is softer than that of the courts with a hard floor, the pace of the game on them is slightly lower. Such playing fields are usually built inside buildings, but there are also courts with synthetic grass, which can be placed both inside buildings and in open space.
On carpeted courts, tennis players compete, for example, for the Kremlin Cup.
Other types of flooring
There are other types of tennis court surfaces, such as wood, asphalt, or rubber. Unfortunately, competitions are not held at the official level.
Construction
The construction of turnkey tennis courts is carried out by many companies. They provide a full range of services, listen to all the wishes of the client, develop a design project, install the necessary equipment, install lighting.
These companies offer impressive collections of specific coatings for playgrounds: synthetic grass has different pile heights, density and colors. That is why even the most picky customer will be able to choose a flooring that meets all the requirements.
After the client selects the coating, the company begins to prepare the foundation, install the drainage system, lay engineering communications, lay all the necessary details for sports equipment. It’s easy to build a tennis court, the main thing is to fulfill the following requirements:
- The base must be perfectly flat and prepared.
- Between the coating and the base, ideally, reliable adhesion is ensured.
- Specialists must strictly withstand construction slopes.
- The flooring must be solid and crack free.
Today it is easy to find a company that will create a small court in the courtyard of a residential building or build a professional indoor tennis court.
Typical Court Values
It is known that the area of a tennis court, its all geometric dimensions are regulated by international standards. Of course, stringent requirements mainly apply to professional courts, but for personal tennis fields it is advisable to adhere to the required standards.
In particular, the standard parameters of the courts are as follows:
- between the outer edges of the side lines: 10.92 m;
- between the outer edges of the main lines: 23.75 m;
- width of flank races: 3.6 m (for amateur courts this parameter can be reduced to 3 m);
- depth of mortgage created for tennis racks: 0.9 m;
- on the back line the length of the runs: 6.4 m (for amateur courts this parameter can be reduced to five meters);
- the distance of the holes between tennis racks made for embedded sleeves is 12.8 m;
- the round clearance under the anchor of the main belt has the following parameters: diameter - 0.45 mm, depth - 20.5 cm.
Dimensions of a bias and evenness
Tennis courts have been built in many cities of Russia! The center, courts, a lot of players in a hurry to train - these are the signs of a real sports metropolis! But we continue to study the parameters of tennis courts. The parameters of flatness and slope are also of great importance. So, the surface should have a slope of not less than 0.6% and not more than 1.2%. Such slope indicators provide good drainage and are mandatory for creation on all outdoor courts. By the way, tolerances for evenness are 3 mm for every three meters of length. It should be noted that there is another size - 4 mm by 4 meters: such values are considered impeccable. On amateur tennis courts this indicator is practically unattainable.
Today, tennis courts are created both in indoor buildings and in open spaces. Coverage of both running zones and platforms should be the same. Surface preparation always depends on the type of flooring. Ground and grass courts are known to require drainage.
The width of the tennis court, and the rest of its parameters, must comply with international standards. Is it necessary to carry out orientation of the site to the cardinal points? If you can choose, the open area needs to be oriented south-north (on the long side). Such a placement guarantees the most favorable feelings for athletes when playing on a clear sunny day.