Does anyone know the history of the various court surfaces or can point me to an article that talks about this subject? My existing knowledge and assumptions about this topic -- accurate or not -- are hazy and vague and are as follows:
In the U.S., tennis began on the East Coast, and was first played on grass courts. At some point in time, clay courts -- which were first developed in Europe as a surface that could absorb the rain of passing showers in Europe well -- were introduced on the East Coast.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the courts were mostly hard courts, for reason I do not know. Hard courts were also introduced on the East Coast at some point in time as well. Also, I do not know what surfaces were/are prevalent in the south or middlewest or the north.
Does anyone know the details about all this stuff? When and where and why various surfaces were introduced in the U.S., or elsewhere in the world?
In the U.S., tennis began on the East Coast, and was first played on grass courts. At some point in time, clay courts -- which were first developed in Europe as a surface that could absorb the rain of passing showers in Europe well -- were introduced on the East Coast.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the courts were mostly hard courts, for reason I do not know. Hard courts were also introduced on the East Coast at some point in time as well. Also, I do not know what surfaces were/are prevalent in the south or middlewest or the north.
Does anyone know the details about all this stuff? When and where and why various surfaces were introduced in the U.S., or elsewhere in the world?
