Full Spectrum
As a fan of color, I know how calming the two-toned blue courts feel in comparison to the vibrant red and green courts. Of course I want to see my favorite college team play on their school colors. I’m not sure I’d want to face the kaleidoscope of WTT courts everyday, but I love the sense of whimsy it brings to their short season. With clay, you only get two choices. And even then it’s one color at a time. With grass, well, you only get a second color when the court is overused.
Hitting the Lines
On clay, the lines are usually a totally different material from the court, creating another hazard for unsteady feet. When you play on grass, so I’m told, the ball hits the brakes and jumps up. That seems kind of bonkers to me. I know that on any hard court in the world, if the ball hits the line it’s going to skid and seem to speed up. It’s like a reward for getting just enough extra depth on your serve or being brave with the angle of your groundstroke.
Low Maintenance
Grass courts are like going out with that one friend who takes HOURS to do their hair and pick out an outfit. You have to coddle the lawn to grow, stay green, mow it just right and can only play on it so much before it gets brown. Clay courts take nearly as much grooming, but it’s more like going out with that friend who REALLY needs to take a good shower before they are presentable to the public. You have to water down the dust and clean up the lines between matches on clay courts. But hard courts are like that buddy of yours who is always ready to go. No fussy maintenance and they are good to play on all day and all night, as long as you can keep up. The most grooming you’ll ever have to do to a hard court is a little sweeping if it happens to be next to a tree. And, seriously who doesn’t need a little brushing now and then? It may be asphalt, but we’re still civilized.
Feels Like Home
I love hard courts because they are practical, durable, and come with their own sort of variety. But ultimately, I love hard courts because it’s what I know. These are the courts I’ve played on since I was a kid. And they feel like home.
Advertisement
Editorials 
For The Love of Hard Courts
For The Love of Hard Courts
The brief stint of the year when tennis is played on grass courts is highly romanticized, even elevated to legendary status. And there is a particular esteem for the artistry associated with achieving success on clay. There are fancy lawn clubs with sweaters and, for part of the year, those in the know refer to dirt as terre battue. But why, oh why, is there no love for the swath of season played on hard courts?
Oh beautiful hard courts, with your dual chromatic palette and your predictably consistent bounce, how do I love thee? Let me detail the ways.
Smooth or Rough
When a professional player says a hard court is playing fast or slow, I can relate. I’ve spent enough years gnashing my joints on the solid surface, in both public and private venues, to know precisely what they mean. The court in the park down the street, which hasn’t been resurfaced in a decade, has been worn so smooth by weather, leagues and skateboards that I know the ball will skid extra quickly. The courts at the junior facility across town have so much sand in the surface mixture that I know a kick serve is going to jump extra high and a stumble is surely going to result in a skinned knee.
Oh beautiful hard courts, with your dual chromatic palette and your predictably consistent bounce, how do I love thee? Let me detail the ways.
Smooth or Rough
When a professional player says a hard court is playing fast or slow, I can relate. I’ve spent enough years gnashing my joints on the solid surface, in both public and private venues, to know precisely what they mean. The court in the park down the street, which hasn’t been resurfaced in a decade, has been worn so smooth by weather, leagues and skateboards that I know the ball will skid extra quickly. The courts at the junior facility across town have so much sand in the surface mixture that I know a kick serve is going to jump extra high and a stumble is surely going to result in a skinned knee.
Additional Info
- Photographer: Christina Ward
Published in
Tennis Editorials
Curt Janka
Curt Janka pushes pixels to fund his tennis habit. A 4.5 doubles specialist, you can catch him on the courts around San Diego or in the stands at local events, generally pulling for the underdog.