Grass court

A grass court is one of the types of tennis court used for the sport of tennis, which was originally called "lawn tennis." These courts are made from different kinds of grasses, depending on the tournament.

Although grass courts are very traditional, they are used much less today than other types of tennis surfaces, such as hard courts and clay courts. One reason is that grass courts cost more to maintain. They also become very slippery when wet, making them unplayable after rain until they dry out. In contrast, hard courts can often be used again much sooner after rain, and clay courts may even stay playable in light rain.

Grass courts are most often found in the United Kingdom and Australia. The most famous tournament played on grass is the Wimbledon Championships, which has been the only Grand Slam tournament played on grass since 1988.

Play style

Grass courts can be slippery. The ball skids and bounces low but keeps most of its speed. Because of this, players must react quickly, and points often end fast. This rewards fast and powerful players. On grass, serving well is very important because the serve and return have a big effect on who wins each point. Grass courts favor a serve and volley style of play.

Players

Many great tennis players have won big tournaments on grass courts. Famous players like Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Pete Sampras have all had success there.

Roger Federer is especially known for his great play on grass, winning many matches and several Wimbledon titles. Venus Williams has also done well, winning Wimbledon singles titles and teaming up with her sister Serena for doubles wins.

Professional tournaments played on grass

The grass court season for professional tennis is shorter than clay or hard courts. Until 2014, it included only Wimbledon, two weeks of tournaments in Britain and Europe before it, and the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, United States after it. In 2015, the season grew by one week between the French Open and Wimbledon. The Stuttgart Open started as a grass court tournament that year. In 2017, a new tournament began in Antalya, Turkey, the week before Wimbledon. On the WTA Tour, Mallorca, Spain, began hosting a grass court tournament in 2016.

Two of the four Grand Slam events used to be on grass but now use hardcourt. The US Open stopped using grass in 1974. The Australian Open last used grass courts in January 1987.