How many of you out in TW land have played on grass

R

richied

Rookie
I grew up on grass in NZ and it will always be my best surface. It takes certain adjustments to apply your trade on grass. I found over years most people just couldn't handle having less time to pass or react. I always loved meeting a solid opponent who soon became bewildered as to why the tennis ball was hitting the net.

So how many out there have played on grass and still do? I miss it!!
 
In my old neighbourhood there was a tennis club with 2 grass courts. I couldn't afford the club membership, but they had junior tournaments open to members and non-members alike so I must have played there at least 10 times and ended winning 2 titles and losing in a final once.

Definitely a fun surface, which is why i'm surprised we don't see a lot of low-power rallies (Santoro-style) with a lot of drop shots, slices, and net-rallies (with both players at the net).

Gotta tell you, though. As a lefty with a slice serve, grass court tennis comes naturally. Which is why I'm surprised Verdasco hasn't done better so far. Maybe he will this year!

Nowadays I have to play on AstroTurf if I want to simulate the grass experience, but it's not the same.
 
Playing "on grass", the score will be called with the words "duuuuuude" and "awesome" at the end everytime it's called.
 
I hope one day to have a grass court installed in my backyard. I've never played on it, but I want to so badly
 
I've played on like every type of surface except for Grass...and har-thru.

Like, I havent played on every TYPE of hardcourt but my main surface is Artificial Grass, I play on clay in spain and have played on plexicushion in spain. Never on grass though :( Have also played indoors aswell on carpet and hard.
 
I've played on grass twice, once at Mission Hills where they had the Davis Cup a few years back against Chile. Roddick's crew reportedly stated the courts were world class, as good as can be found anywhere. And we got to play on them first, right after they had been reseeded and the lines redone (they were redoing the courts that day). It was pretty awesome.
 
i live in washington. west side stand up. and i played on synthetic grass in so cal. its hella fun and soft but the ball bounces once and dies. ahh good memories lol try diving on it so fun
 
it would be the best to play on one. i have always played on hardcourts and i have played like 20 min on clay. i can't say i really liked it tho.
 
If you don't like clay, you might not like grass.

I'm not saying the styles are the same (which they're not), but the annoying nuances of playing on a natural surface, or on carpet for that matter, are there.

Then again, if you've got the right shoes and spent enough time on grass, I'm sure it's pretty comfortable.

Maybe some of the grass veterans here can compare their grass and clay experiences?
 
I practiced a couple of times on real grass on Royal South Yarra tennis club in Melbourne, Aus and then i played 2 tournaments on Grass in Geelong and I actually won one of them :)

I loved it very very much. It´s a privilege to play on grass. Amazing feel to step out on the lawn. It´s like playing on a golf-green.
 
Hankenstein said:
I practiced a couple of times on real grass on Royal South Yarra tennis club in Melbourne, Aus and then i played 2 tournaments on Grass in Geelong and I actually won one of them :)

I loved it very very much. It´s a privilege to play on grass. Amazing feel to step out on the lawn. It´s like playing on a golf-green.
Click to expand...




I've played there and at Kooyong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD BLESS GRASS!!! It's the only surface I where I know that I will play my 'A' game
 
unless you have played on grass you can't quite grasp the feeling! It is special and even more so with fewer grass courts in the world today. My original club 5 mins near my home used to have grass, but because of the work required to keep them in good condition, they were dug up and made into turf!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!O the pain I suffered...I went from club champ to nothing!!
 
I played on grass in Asia ,it's fun to slide and the big slice serves don't come back... the bad part is,they make you wear all white..
 
played twice, both competitively (one was a tournament).

The ball bounced so low, and it fact, it sit on the grass (before bouncing up) longer than on hard court.
 
I have played on grass in jolly ole England. I think it was near Queen's College. In fact the only thing I haven't played on is red clay.
 
adams_1 said:
I play on grass in Australia all summer, every summer :D

Grass is wonderful stuff. Artificial grass is not even close in any respect except maybe colour.
Click to expand...

Dude, where do you play on grass? I live in Melb and I have played only on the Plexiace thingy and on clay.
 
i have, in london, it's a great feeling, if you're having a good serving day especially. feels great beneath your feet and getting to net quickly makes a real difference because slice can make shots unplayable- the ball sometimes won't get up to your ankles!!
 
Not sure why there is such a love fest for grass.

Most grass courts are appallingly maintained, are slippery, with uneven bounces and have short rallies as a result of this.

Last year I played a few times and the current trend seems to be to let the grass grow too long meaning the ball keeps low but doesn't come through at all. All in all it makes for a completely substandard playing experience.
 
jaykay said:
Dude, where do you play on grass? I live in Melb and I have played only on the Plexiace thingy and on clay.
Click to expand...

lawrence said:
where do you aussies play grass? theres only one spot near me which is pretty expensive
Click to expand...

Mildura. Might be a bit far for you to travel, jaykay, but you ought to make the journey one day ;)

The courts here (there are 32) are really top class. They held a Fed Cup tie here a couple of months ago. Oh, and there was a Davis Cup round back in 1998.
 
why is there so much love for grass?? or is it coz this thread is pre-selecting people who loves grass...agree wit moz....hard to have decent rallies on it....serve...bang, all over....

on the other hand...love hard court and clay....and also love carpet...not quite the grass experience...but quick, no wind factor, and consistent bounce makes clean hitting a breeze..not to mention the loud echo every time you hit the ball...:)
 
I played on grass once and it was quite an experience. The thing that stood out to me was how muffled the sounds of the ball-strikes were. I felt like that threw me off more than the low bounces.
 
My club has 6 Grasscourts, It's in the North of the UK.

Pretty great courts really, many good players have played ther such as Laver, Edberg, Rafter, Cash and many others.

I LOVE grasscourt tennis, it's just so different to hardcourt tennis.
 
I love the soft feel you get playing on grass but while it feels nice I hate hate hate low skidding slices and big serves I can't return :(
 
I played quite a bit of tennis on grass when i was younger. However, i play tennis on decoturf now, at the weekends. To play tennis on grass is beautiful.
 
I've played on grass 3 times. Once singles, once doubles, and once a hit. I agree there is nothing like it and it is a totally different mindset. I will also add that grass courts are the absolute easiest on your legs.
 
Super easy on the legs. I grew up playing on the stuff and didn't get too comfortable at the baseline until later in life. As long as the treads on your sneaks aren't completely worn away, the footing and movement on grass is rather good - even better if you have grass court shoes!

Clay demands that you wait before committing toward one direction or the other more than grass, but the surfaces are sort of similar in the way that they both take some speed off the ball after it bounces - good defense can really pay off. It's much easier to run down lobs on both, but the grass doesn't tee it up quite so high off the bounce - well conditioned courts are close, though.

Right after Wimbledon, there's a small pro tournament in Newport, RI that I love to attend along with the US Open at the end of the summer. The contrast is incredible because Newport's grass can be so disarming for players that depend on baseline power that they enjoy on the hardcourts. Fabrice Santoro has recently earned the trophy there and his skills (and movement!) are phenomenal to watch up close on grass. These guys need to use ferocious spin and touch to construct their points instead of using "batting practice" as a gameplan.

Grass is my favorite surface for doubles, probably because it magnifies the serve and volley aspect of the game. On hard courts, it's easier for the one up-one back formation to take hold too often, but the game is more compressed on grass and teams need more variety to press the issue. Watching the pros play doub's on the grass is routinely breathtaking... there, I said it.
 
I used to play on grass every summer, and I love it. In fact, grass is probably my favorite surface. It's easy on the body and well suited to my preferred aggressive style. ;) BHBH
 
Anybody got a backyard big enough to draw a tennis court on? If I am buying a house I sure would look for a big backyard :) Then i can play on grass all the time!
 
Moz said:
Not sure why there is such a love fest for grass.

Most grass courts are appallingly maintained, are slippery, with uneven bounces and have short rallies as a result of this.

Last year I played a few times and the current trend seems to be to let the grass grow too long meaning the ball keeps low but doesn't come through at all. All in all it makes for a completely substandard playing experience.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I did notice that but I rarely stay back to hit groundies. Most of the time I serve and volley so for me it's not too bad.
 
BreakPoint said:
I used to also live near a whole bunch of grass courts in the U.S. but never played on them. And I've played on artificial grass in Singapore.
Click to expand...

Hey i live in Singapore i too played on artifical grass it feels almost like carpet.
Why were you in Singapore just curious ?
 
Last edited:
I guess it depends on what you are used to...

I play 90% of the time on hard... it's the fairest surface, no bad bounces, you can defend or attack and be successful both ways.

I go on red clay some times - don't really like it, too slow, ground strokes don't penetrate no matter how hard I try..... The part about 'easy on the body' is over-rated.... with good footwork and good shoes with gel inserts, playing on hard is not that taxing on the body.

Played on real grass once - hated it... balls bounce so low, my back hurted for a couple of days, from reaching for all those low balls.
 
dozu said:
I guess it depends on what you are used to...

I play 90% of the time on hard... it's the fairest surface, no bad bounces, you can defend or attack and be successful both ways.

I go on red clay some times - don't really like it, too slow, ground strokes don't penetrate no matter how hard I try..... The part about 'easy on the body' is over-rated.... with good footwork and good shoes with gel inserts, playing on hard is not that taxing on the body.

Played on real grass once - hated it... balls bounce so low, my back hurted for a couple of days, from reaching for all those low balls.
Click to expand...

These contrasting experiences only make me more appreciative of the top players that figure out how to thrive on every surface. Just having enough ability to move differently against tough competition is a tall order.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Sudacafan
  • Poll Poll
How often do you play tennis on natural grass?
Replies
40
Views
2K
mmk
mmk
L
Have you ever played on grass?
2
Replies
57
Views
4K
darrinbaker00
darrinbaker00
R
How many have you actually player serve volley
Replies
9
Views
1K
Blinkism
Blinkism
StringGuruMRT
How many Wimbledons would Djokovic have won on the “fast grass”
Replies
46
Views
3K
DSH
DSH
JackB1
Have you played against a fellow forum member?
2 3
Replies
100
Views
10K
BounceHitBounceHit
BounceHitBounceHit
Back
Top