Hard courts suck

[Benoit Kyrgios]

Anybody else hates playing on hard courts?

I enjoy playing on any kind of court except for this abomination that feels like youre playing on concrete and your legs are constantly bumping into a wall, with no opportunity to sliding. Every time your racket touches the court I squinch my eyes in disgust to the sound it makes and check my frame for cracks

I would prefer a patchy fake grass&sand hotel court with a half torn net over the US Open centre court to play on.

I think the only think worse to play tennis on is a dry tennis court in widny weather,when dust flies into your mouth and the nose.

A properly watered clay court, a grass, fake grass, carpet or any other type of court is better than hard court.

Just a rant. And also I'm very young and don't have any troubles with my joints or knees, so don't think I'm just an old hag who can only play on soft surfaces

 

[jbot]

Ok boomer

 

[Benoit Kyrgios]

Ok boomer

hard courts require no skill in footwork.
only at the highest level skill matters of course, and djokovics sliding is insane skills

Im 21 by the way. You americans are so obsessed with hardcourts. its so funny. and whats bad that the casual viewer likes hard courts because of the bright colors, not knowing anything about the impact a particular surface does to the game

 

[zipplock]

I play on clay and hardcourt, like both for the variety. Hard is faster, more predictable bounce. Clay is slower, get some crazy ball movement. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

 

[OnTheLine]

OP Any sentence that starts with "you Americans (Europeans, Asians, South Americans, British ...) are" is always a poor way to start and then finishes typically with an insult. You can have your opinion without denigrating how others play.

While traveling the US I have played on clay, carpet and grass. Enjoyed clay except for how slow it is, hated grass because the court was a mess, and would say the same about carpet.

Hard courts are easier to maintain and work in varied climates. I live in the desert southwest ... no clay courts to be found, maintenance would be a nightmare. We play only outdoors and in our sun, heat and dry air, carpet would burn up and disintegrate in a season or two. In the southeast of the US you will find a very high percentage of clay courts.

Yes, the effect of a hard court on the game is that it in general makes it more uniform and faster ... rewards bigger hitters and big servers.

I suppose I could say the same about "you Fill-In-Nationality-heres who just love slow junkball pusher clay court play" .... but I wouldn't, because not only is that insulting and unnecessary, it likely isn't true.

And your comment about footwork ... rings hollow as well. As my footwork is sometimes suspect, it would be great if it wasn't necessary on hard court. Too bad it is necessary.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

hard courts require no skill in footwork.

By that logic, beginners with no athleticism have awesome footwork on hard courts because there's no skill involved.

Yeah, right.

only at the highest level skill matters of course, and djokovics sliding is insane skills

No, it matters at all levels. I'd go so far to say it's foundational [the 3Fs = footwork, fitness, focus, and spacing].

How does Djokovic's sliding skills support your contention that hard courts require no skill in footwork? It seems to point to the opposite conclusion.

Im 21 by the way. You americans are so obsessed with hardcourts. its so funny.

It's not an obsession; it's more of a "what courts are available for me to play on?". I know of 3 clay courts within 20 miles and 0 grass courts. I'd love to give both a try but they aren't exactly available.

and whats bad that the casual viewer likes hard courts because of the bright colors, not knowing anything about the impact a particular surface does to the game

And that surprises you why? Why would the casual viewer care about surface...or ball brand, or string type, or racquet swing weight, or shoe or...? They care about watching the sport.

 

[Fairhit]

The fact that you can't slide in hard court implies that footwork has to be on point.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

The fact that you can't slide in hard court implies that footwork has to be on point.

I see people sliding on hard court all of the time now, all the way down to the junior level. I guess they must teach that.

 

[Fxanimator1]

hard courts require no skill in footwork.
only at the highest level skill matters of course, and djokovics sliding is insane skills

Im 21 by the way. You americans are so obsessed with hardcourts. its so funny. and whats bad that the casual viewer likes hard courts because of the bright colors, not knowing anything about the impact a particular surface does to the game

I pored over the TTW complete list of videos, but did not see anything from you and that fantastic clay court game of yours.

 

[golden chicken]

Given the state of most of my customers' cars, and the poor condition of the USA's roads, I'd say we Americans are generally loathe to perform maintenance on most things. We prefer instead to wait until it becomes unusable before repairing or replacing.

That would explain hardcourts over clay or grass.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Given the state of most of my customers' cars, and the poor condition of the USA's roads, I'd say we Americans are generally loathe to perform maintenance on most things. We prefer instead to wait until it becomes unusable before repairing or replacing.

That would explain hardcourts over clay or grass.

Given that many people get a new car in a shorter time than the length of their car loan, your hypothesis sounds about right.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

I pored over the TTW complete list of videos, but did not see anything from you and that fantastic clay court game of yours.

Heck, I'd settle for his hard court footwork: since it requires no skill, his must be fantastic.

 

[JackSockIsTheBest]

I see people sliding on hard court all of the time now, all the way down to the junior level. I guess they must teach that.

yes, i slide ALL the time! unlike 2-3 years ago

 

[Deleted member 769694]

Anybody else hates playing on hard courts?

I enjoy playing on any kind of court except for this abomination that feels like youre playing on concrete and your legs are constantly bumping into a wall, with no opportunity to sliding. Every time your racket touches the court I squinch my eyes in disgust to the sound it makes and check my frame for cracks

I would prefer a patchy fake grass&sand hotel court with a half torn net over the US Open centre court to play on.

I think the only think worse to play tennis on is a dry tennis court in widny weather,when dust flies into your mouth and the nose.

A properly watered clay court, a grass, fake grass, carpet or any other type of court is better than hard court.

Just a rant. And also I'm very young and don't have any troubles with my joints or knees, so don't think I'm just an old hag who can only play on soft surfaces

You slide on clay because you cant stop and push back. Have to put on the brakes you can say, then do it.

You only slide on hardcourts because you were moving really fast and your planting foot has momentum. Gotta becareful on hc sliding though, can hurt your calf if not warmed up. Need much stronger legs on hc to slide

I prefer the consistent bounce you get on a hardcourt, i only like clay if its watered underground and very hot outside. Hc surface in florida can get to 148f, i test the same on clay and its only 101 max, yet the cement next to it is 115.

 

[BlueB]

Hard are the only true playing courts.
Sanded artificial grass is sort o ok, too.
The other surfaces are relics of the past.

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[tonylg]

hard courts require no skill in footwork.

The faster the court and lower the bounce, the more important footwork becomes.



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[Benoit Kyrgios]

The faster the court and lower the bounce, the more important footwork becomes.



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It's actually exactly the opposite: the slower the court and the higher the bounce, the more important footwork becomes

 

[Benoit Kyrgios]

Hardcourts ruin knees and hips. You can play for twice as long on clay or grass as you can on hardcourts.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

It's actually exactly the opposite: the slower the court and the higher the bounce, the more important footwork becomes

How about simply "footwork is critically important"?

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

Hardcourts ruin knees and hips. You can play for twice as long on clay or grass as you can on hardcourts.

I don't think anyone would argue with you. But that wasn't your original point: your OP was that hard court footwork required no skill.

 

[Benoit Kyrgios]

How about simply "footwork is critically important"?

It is, but please watch Brown-Nadal Wimbeldon match and try to argue that footwork is more important on fast low bouncign grass. of course it's not.

 

[S&V-not_dead_yet]

It is, but please watch Brown-Nadal Wimbeldon match and try to argue that footwork is more important on fast low bouncign grass. of course it's not.

I'd have no problem if you wrote that clay or grass required better footwork than hard court because the surfaces weren't as solid. I've played volleyball on all 3 surfaces [indoor wood and sport court, grass, and sand] and indoors is the easiest because I have solid footing. Trying to jump in sand is like...well, trying to jump in sand. Mucho difficult. However, that does not mean indoor footwork requires no skill.

If you're referring to the upset, I'm not sure what point you're trying to make: that wasn't a long rally, grinding sort of match where footwork was prominent. Brown tried to end points very quickly and avoid those long rallies [and he did so spectacularly]. And Nadal looked off-balance and out of sorts on many of those points.

 

[onehandbh]

It is debatable whether hardcourts suck or not, but for sure,
claycourts suck water.

 

[BlueB]

Hardcourts ruin knees and hips. You can play for twice as long on clay or grass as you can on hardcourts.

You are way more likely to have a bad fall and ruin yourself on clay or grass, than on hard court.

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[navigator]

You are way more likely to have a bad fall and ruin yourself on clay or grass, than on hard court.

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You are fairly unlikely to have a bad fall on a hard court; it happens but it's pretty rare. You are slightly more likely to fall on clay or grass, but (1) folks who play on these surfaces regularly fall rarely because they're familiar with how to play on them, (2) if you do fall, the surface is much softer than a hard court, and (3) you're still working from a fairly low probability to begin with.

In contrast, hard courts are very likely to cause long-term injuries - eventually - to at least one of the following feet/ankles, knees, hips, back, etc. A link to a study that compares the incidence of clay court injuries with those of hard courts: https://hartru.com/blogs/har-tru-blog/can-clay-courts-help-prevent-injury

 

[tonylg]

A link to a study that compares the incidence of clay court injuries with those of hard courts: https://hartru.com/blogs/har-tru-blog/can-clay-courts-help-prevent-injury

That's a bit like linking to a study about the health benefits of smoking, on the Phillip Morris website.

 

[navigator]

That's a bit like linking to a study about the health benefits of smoking, on the Phillip Morris website.

Well, I doubt Har Tru funded that study, but anyway... here you go: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-01-tennis-courts-injuries-biomechanics-expert.html

There are plenty more studies that come to the same conclusions, including one done by the USTA several years back (that I'm too lazy to dig up).

 

[Deleted member 769694]

Tennis on clay

 

[onehandbh]

I know a bunch of people who are either older or have had joint issues and they can only play on clay because hardcourts cause them pain.

 

[ChaelAZ]

I enjoy playing on any kind of court except for this abomination that feels like youre playing on concrete...

Ummm...because you are?

DERP.

 

[Jonesy]

Hard court suck only to old people whose knees can't stand the impact. But then everything suck because you are old anyway, that's just life. In this case you should only play on clay.

 

[Benoit Kyrgios]

I know a bunch of people who are either older or have had joint issues and they can only play on clay because hardcourts cause them pain.

I dont feel any pain and can play on hard courts. But as a conscious and reasonable person i can tell that i WILL have all sorts of problems in the future should i keep on playing on hard courts. And thats why i choose not to whenever i can.

Ummm...because you are?

DERP.

And that sits well with you?? Playing tennis on ****ing concrete??

 

[ChaelAZ]

I dont feel any pain and can play on hard courts. But as a conscious and reasonable person i can tell that i WILL have all sorts of problems in the future should i keep on playing on hard courts. And thats why i choose not to whenever i can.

And that sits well with you?? Playing tennis on ****ing concrete??

Yup. Great surface.


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[ptuanminh]

Anybody hates playing clay court? Everytime the ball bounces, i pray it doesn't hit a weird spot and bounces like crazy.

 

[navigator]

Hard court suck only to old people whose knees can't stand the impact. But then everything suck because you are old anyway, that's just life. In this case you should only play on clay.

Lots of pros have issues with hard courts as well - I'm thinking Murray's hips, Nadal's knees, etc etc etc. It ain't just geezers. But certainly it affects geezers more. "Everything suck because you are old..." bwahahaha.... I'm old and everything's pretty great. I think your sample size is too small.

 

[Fxanimator1]

Lots of pros have issues with hard courts as well - I'm thinking Murray's hips, Nadal's knees, etc etc etc. It ain't just geezers. But certainly it affects geezers more. "Everything suck because you are old..." bwahahaha.... I'm old and everything's pretty great. I think your sample size is too small.

"...your sample size is too small"
I'd say your comment here sums this all up pretty well.

 

[zaph]

I wish we had hard courts in the UK. You think they suck, try playing on club grass courts. Clubs can't afford to maintain them properly, so usually they aren't flat. They can only be used when there hasn't been rain for a few days, so not very often in Britain. They wear out incredibly quickly, two weeks is about the most they are playable for.

Worse because so many are so in love with the damn things, they insist on tuning the artificial courts to play like grass courts. I played on some artificial clay courts and the majority complained that they were slow and the ball bounced too high. That is how they are suppose to play, they haven't got a clue.

I would love to play on a proper hard court, no chance round here.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Never played grass or carpet. Have played Har Tru, Red clay and hard courts.
Prefer clay for its ease on my joints and the more extended points. Really works your mental toughness.
Hate fast hard courts the most. Prefer hard courts with slower surfaces both for my legs and gamestyle.

But if I had a choice, I'd play clay as my only tennis surface.

 

[pencilcheck]

Some salty TTW weekend worrier that can't hit is trying to find excuse ...

 

[tonylg]

My top 10 tennis types of tennis court in order of enjoyment

1. Grass
2. Carpet (but haven't played on it in decades)
3. Uncushioned hard court
4. 10% of artificial grass (short pile, fine sand applied sparingly)
5. Cushioned hard court
6. Wood (there is such a thing as too fast)
7. 90% of artificial grass (long pile with too much sand)
8. What we call ant bed here in Australia
9. Interstate highway using the guard rail as a net
10. Any form of clay

I'd only consider playing on clay if I was allowed to wear spikes. Even then, dirt is for gardening .. not tennis.

 

[toby55555]

The porous cushioned hard courts you can press your thumb into are great but any others suck in the UK as they are out of action for long periods due to the rain or kill your knees.

 

[Shroud]

I hate clay and have since the first point I played an fell split stepping. Half the clubs were on clay and so was the state finals. Ugh. That was years ago.

So have been hating clay for 30 years. Last summer I played on the green stuff. Man it was great. Everything was sooooo slow and bounced up high in my strike zone. It was great. Never played again on clay. You have to spray and rake and wait. UGH. No time for that stuff.

Wood is the best IMHO and yes it IS too fast.

 

[StringSnapper]

Fast hardcourts are the best surface IMO. A perfect bounce every time, and you can be aggressive.

 

[StringSnapper]

All we need is a perfect bounce and no wind for tennis ecstasy

 

[TagUrIt]

I’m not going to even address the ridiculous footwork comment, because it’s already dealt with by previous posts.

Whenever I travel overseas I dread playing tennis because all they have is red clay. My timing sucks, even with split stepping and my swings aren’t nearly as solid because the ball is moving so slow. However, because I want do want to play, I’m forced to deal with erractic bounces, raised court lines, red clay ruining tennis balls, clothes, and taking forever to tap it out of the grooves of your shoes. Oh and don’t forget to drag the court which cuts into your paid on court time. Which can get expensive after awhile, because generally there are no free public tennis courts.

When I’m back in the States, it makes me appreciate the abundance of free hard courts we have available. Yes the courts are faster and the impact is harsher on the body. Most players, wear good shoes or use insoles. I like knowing that the ball bounces true and my timing is much better.

My preference will ALWAYS be hard courts over any clay surface any day .

 

[OnTheLine]

My top 10 tennis types of tennis court in order of enjoyment

.......
8. What we call ant bed here in Australia
9. Interstate highway using the guard rail as a net
10. Any form of clay

I'd only consider playing on clay if I was allowed to wear spikes. Even then, dirt is for gardening .. not tennis.

Wow ... so I am thinking you don't like clay. Do you even watch any of the pro tour from April through June?

 

[tonylg]

Wow ... so I am thinking you don't like clay. Do you even watch any of the pro tour from April through June?

April through June is the off season. No tennis to watch then.

 

[Powderwombat]

maybe try beach tennis

 

[Benoit Kyrgios]

maybe try beach tennis

it's really strenious on the knees too. and its not tennis we play

 

[Powderwombat]

Pro players play on hard courts for like 5 hours a day growing up, countless tournaments a year on hard courts, plus hitting and training on hard courts before and between matches. Also playing at high intensity with much much more running and stopping than we do. I think you'll be fine playing on them as a rec player. Nadal is the only one I know who whinges about it but he has a defect with his foot or something that adds pressure to his knees. I prefer syn grass too but they have to be good. Lots of bad syn grass courts with horrible bounces and slippery.