I agree. Recently before heading to Europe I was wanting some clay court practice and someone, who was not a tennis player, told me they knew someone who had a Har-Tru court in their backyard. He arranged for me to play there and when I showed up I was impressed by the big beautiful house. Then I saw the court. Clearly the court had not been used or maintained for a very long time. Most of the top surface was gone, there were cracks, and in some places the tacked down lines ended up being raised a good 1/2-3/4 inch above the surface because the Har-Tru had eroded away. The net was maybe 2 feet high in the middle. It was sad--what a waste. This could have been such an asset but the owners couldn't be bothered. The owner saw me leaving shortly after I arrived and yelled out 'you done already?'. I said the court was not playable and she said 'yeah, we never use it'. It took all my will power just to say thanks anyway and leave and not say what I really thought.
Those courts can be great especially in the rain, you can literally play on them through a rain storm and they only get better--the problem is when they put too much sand on top, then they can get very slippery until it's properly groomed, seen pros slipping and sliding when they're not right.Sandy syn turf. Needed to get in some hits when staying at a resort in SW US and it was not much better than ice
I am originally from South Africa. When I was in juniors (early to mid 2000s) I started playing ITF tournaments. To get my foot in the door and get a ranking, I had to play Grade 4 and 5 level tournaments at first. The lowest of the low - at least at that time. One summer, I think in 2004, I played a tournament in Malawi on what was listed as "Clay Court" on the tournament's site. What it actually turned out to be was cow manure dried up and spread out over the court. Thinking back, the likelihood of injury was unbelievable. The court itself was uneven and full of little bumps and holes. To paint the lines, they used regular cooking flour. After about 10 minutes of play the lines were about 10 inches wide from all the wear and tear. Oh, and on the first day of the tournament when taking the shuttle from the hotel to the venue there was a dead body right outside our hotel.
On the other hand, I bet it's near impossible to predict where that will bounce if it goes in.
Sounds like my club.
Yah, grass can be the worst and the best, even Wimby after the second week is mostly dirt at the baseline. Since no one serves and volleys much anymore, the mid-court is still pretty good nowadays. Playing on grass can really develop your vision, with all the unusual bounces you really have to WATCH THE BALL. The desert has the best grass courts, because they're built on sand. Other places bounces vary with the gopher holes and garter snakes. Wimby is experimenting with weaving in some astro turf with the rye mix, kind of like a Bosley weave.
Agreed--the FBI moved in at 6 am arresting the family--dressed in full tactical gear--they are being interrogated at Gitmo' to reveal co-conspirators who have failed to maintain their private courts and allow alligators to shelter in their pools and hot-tubs--CNN will have full coverage from beginning to end--their children are in protective custody with social services. Their pool table, which was found to be out-of-level, was taken as evidence. Their will be a realtor's open house this weekend, and the stagers are cleaning the court--MS 13 has put a deposit towards a long-term lease on the property to be used as a community club-house.
I played at those courts in Ocean City back in the 90s. They were atrocious!
That is painful to watch, but also worrying in that the movement she makes to cause the injury doesn't seem that extreme.
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