Whats the worst surface you have played on?

[msweigert08]

Last week, I was told our match was on carpet. I was excited to play on it since I am only used to hardcourt. Turna out this carpet is like playing on ice. The ball would skid like grass on steroids. We lost the match in straight sets. Im convinced we will have no problems beating them again on hard court.

Everything I have learned about tennis I threw out. My form was terrible, and my topspin sat up waiting to be smacked. Dead spots everywhere and these guys knew just how to serve so the ball would keep slicing away after it hit that carpet.

What is the worst court you have played on?

[J_R_B]

The gym at my college had a multipurpose floor where you could set up tennis nets. The surface was this kind of polished looking rubber stuff that was slick like you describe. On top of that, there were lines for like 5 different courts (tennis, basketball, volletball, etc), each a different color. We had to use these courts for challenge matches in the winter. It was horrible. I think they've replaced that surface since I left (it was 20 years ago...).

[ChipNCharge]

Originally Posted by msweigert08

What is the worst court you have played on?

Blue clay.

[msweigert08]

Luckily we dont have to play on "legos" this season. A club out here has rubber multi colored mats.

[prgault]

Hardwood basketball court in the gym of a local state park. My opponent said it was a lot like grass. One of my biggest problems was with the service toss right because it looked like it would hit the basket.

P_

[tennis tom]

Gravel, it was like playing on marbles.

[bluetrain4]

Concrete.

My subregional tennis tournament was partially played on concrete courts at a public park (and also on normal courts at the local high school). A summer USTA tournament was also played on those same courts.

I'm talking about bright white/light gray concrete with visible pores, like someone's driveway. The lines were red. And, an engineered crack (like a typical sidewalk crack) ran the length of the baseline, immediately behind the painted red line. Whenever I played there, the tournament director would tell players before the match that the "back crack is in", so any weird jumps off that back line were in.

As far as a playing surface, maybe I shouldn't say this was the "worst" just the most unexpected and weird. As far as speed and bounce, it was just fine. It was fairly rough and would eat your shoes quickly. It was very hard and I would now probably think it was rough on the body, but at the time, I thought nothing of it. The extremely light color of the court surface could cause intense glare on sunny days.

So, maybe not worst. Most inappropriate. Most random.

[jdubbs]

I played on South American red clay in Buenos Aires last year.
The surface was pockmarked and there were so many bad bounces. Plus I slid at all the wrong times.
It was beautiful to look at, but I'm glad I don't have to play on it regularly.

[Cindysphinx]

The clay courts in Our Nation's Capitol.

A few years ago, I had a doubles match on the clay courts at Hains Point. Not only are there sprinkle heads popping up between the courts (helpfully ringed by a circle of PCV pipe), the clay itself looked like a family of gophers had taken up residence underneath.

Then last week, I had to play on those clay courts again. This time, it was a whole new horror. The PCV pipe sprinkler head protectors were still sticking up above the ground, creating a grave tripping hazard. The court surface itself was not to be believed. Our court was like playing on cake flour. I had to take my shoes home and hit them with the garden hose inside and out to clean them. Do not get me started on the ridiculous bounces.

I will probably get a horrific lung disease and die a slow agonizing death due to inhaling all that loose clay dust.

[msweigert08]

This gives me hope that one day i can put an indoor tennis court in my house! I would love to try clay but not those horror stories! Has anyone tried carpet? What i played on was like a carpet worn down from the 70's and caked with 40 years of sweat

[LuckyR]

My HS had 2 great cement courts, 4 OK concrete courts and 2 terrible asphalt courts (crazy abrasive surface with giant cracks throughout). Many years after I graduated, they surfaced the cement and concrete courts and paved over the asphalt with concrete.

[LeeD]

By far, unprepared carpet.
I played 2 Qualifiers. After the 3rd round, we moved to the event site, the first day they laid down the carpet, over dirt. The carpet showed low skids, super high stopping bounces, and soft and hard spots. The footing was incredibly sticky, except for the loose parts, where your foot could slip because the carpet slid a tiny amount.
Then for the first round, they removed the carpet, tacked in an underlayer, and glued the carpet down!
They don't care about qualifiers at all!

[GlennK]

Originally Posted by msweigert08

Last week, I was told our match was on carpet. I was excited to play on it since I am only used to hardcourt. Turna out this carpet is like playing on ice. The ball would skid like grass on steroids. We lost the match in straight sets. Im convinced we will have no problems beating them again on hard court.

Everything I have learned about tennis I threw out. My form was terrible, and my topspin sat up waiting to be smacked. Dead spots everywhere and these guys knew just how to serve so the ball would keep slicing away after it hit that carpet.

What is the worst court you have played on?

Hi MSWeigert,

Are you talking about the carpet at the Hall of Fame courts in Canton, OH? Then I agree with you. First time I played on those courts I was completely thrown off. The dead spots were the worse. We managed to win our USTA doubles match but only because the home guys choked in the 3rd set tie breaker.

Second worse surface I have played on is what I affectionately call the Legos courts. Hard plastic squares make up the surface. Make sure you never fall on that surface as it eats up your skin!

Glenn

[Herdsman76]

For me it was on black asphalt courts in my dad's hometown (pop. 1100). Seriously... Black asphalt with yellow lines. Forget playing on them in the Summer. What was bad is that after a little while of playing, the tennis balls were covered in a greasy/oily black film. Even your strings were "blackened" from the surface. Fortunately, this was years ago and the courts are now very nice with a new "true" tennis surface....

[Alchemy-Z]

We grew up with an asphalt court..no net they just ran a 36" tall chain link fence across the middle...Lines were normally some kind of tape (we put down) or chalk/Spray paint.

one end didn't have a fence to catch the ball and the other side had a retention pond. we would play with dead balls just so they wouldn't bounce to high.

[msweigert08]

Originally Posted by GlennK

Hi MSWeigert,

Are you talking about the carpet at the Hall of Fame courts in Canton, OH? Then I agree with you. First time I played on those courts I was completely thrown off. The dead spots were the worse. We managed to win our USTA doubles match but only because the home guys choked in the 3rd set tie breaker.

Second worse surface I have played on is what I affectionately call the Legos courts. Hard plastic squares make up the surface. Make sure you never fall on that surface as it eats up your skin!

Glenn

Glenn! Yes I am! I am lucky and.wont play at Green this year. What club and league do you play in?

[8F93W5]

I've never played on paper. I often hear people say that "on paper, he/she should win this match". I've never seen a paper court except for a picture printed on paper.
I have read that the U.S. Indoor Championships used to (1920s - 1930s) be played on wood. That would be a neat surface to try.
In Tahoe California there is a asphalt court that blackens the balls. In Campbell Ca, I had a court at my apartment that was set with the sun in your face in the morning and evening. It had faded surface and tattered net.

Best courts:
I have done some good grass. It's a real privilege to even see a grass court. I've done grass at Wilmington Country Club in Delaware, ATP Tour Headquarters Ponte Vedra Fl, Saddlebrook Wesley Chapel Fl, and Palm Desert Marriott. These were all pretty much perfect courts, but my worst surface. So in a way, they are the worst courts.

[Tar Heel Tennis]

at the Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta....during a member/member golf tournament....

[chollyred]

Originally Posted by Herdsman76

For me it was on black asphalt courts in my dad's hometown (pop. 1100). Seriously... Black asphalt with yellow lines. Forget playing on them in the Summer. What was bad is that after a little while of playing, the tennis balls were covered in a greasy/oily black film. Even your strings were "blackened" from the surface. Fortunately, this was years ago and the courts are now very nice with a new "true" tennis surface....

My high school had black asphalt courts, only the lines were white. As soon as new courts were built at one of the parks, these courts were abandoned.

I drove past the old high school a couple of weeks ago and the courts are finally being replaced. It has only taken them 36 years!

[spaceman_spiff]

Originally Posted by msweigert08

This gives me hope that one day i can put an indoor tennis court in my house! I would love to try clay but not those horror stories! Has anyone tried carpet? What i played on was like a carpet worn down from the 70's and caked with 40 years of sweat

That's my club. All six outdoor courts are sand-covered carpet, complete with weird spots. For example, I've hit kick serves that barely bounced above the knees, and I've hit flat serves that have kicked up over shoulder height.

Unfortunately, quite a number of the other clubs around here also have this horrendous carpet. Only a couple of places have nice hard courts, and no one in the county has clay.

It's one of the few things that tempts me to move back to the US.