fx101
Rookie
After seeing every page of the tennis instruction forum containing some question about keys to winning on each surface, I decided to post this (hopefully to get stickied) to finally get all the information in one place. I will post my advice, but I hope others of you will provide input as well, the more the better.
Speeds are in a 1-10 scale. 1 being slow 10 being fast.
Grass-
Eastern Forehand with minimal to average topspin. Serve and Volley game or moving into the net is helpfull. Focus on power and placement. Key to winning is speed (getting to the shot and hitting it with lots of pace).
Speed Rating: 9+ (European Grasses) 7-8 (American Grasses)
Clay-
Heavy topspin and a full Western Forehand. Baseline play with long rallies common. Focus on consistency and stamina. Key to winning is focusing on hitting angles and not commiting unforced errors. Forcing errors is difficult on this surface due to it's slow bounce speed.
Speed Rating : 5-7 (Har-Tru) 3-5 (Red clay) <4 (Green Clay)
Hard Court-
This type of court favors most forehands so most grips will suffice. Semi-Western is the preferred grip for this surface. Focus on consistency and pace. Since Hard-Court is considered a medium-fast surface, moving into the net for volleys is recommended. Long baseline rallies are not common but show up ocassionally. Note that painted hard courts (such as those coated by green sealant) play significantly faster and with lower bounce heights than normal hard courts.
Speed Rating: 6-8 (Normal) 7+ (Coated)
Synthetic/Composite-
In this case we will focus on the rubberized courts often found indoors. These usually have playing characteristics similar to clay in respect to bounce height and the effect of spin on the bounce, yet will have a speed rating similar to that of hard-court. There is no real special strategy for this surface (please tell me if there is one...) as it favors most playing styles. Note that the speed rating is large as it varies enourmously from surface to surface.
Please reply to this post with aditional information and tips.
Speed rating: 4+
Speeds are in a 1-10 scale. 1 being slow 10 being fast.
Grass-
Eastern Forehand with minimal to average topspin. Serve and Volley game or moving into the net is helpfull. Focus on power and placement. Key to winning is speed (getting to the shot and hitting it with lots of pace).
Speed Rating: 9+ (European Grasses) 7-8 (American Grasses)
Clay-
Heavy topspin and a full Western Forehand. Baseline play with long rallies common. Focus on consistency and stamina. Key to winning is focusing on hitting angles and not commiting unforced errors. Forcing errors is difficult on this surface due to it's slow bounce speed.
Speed Rating : 5-7 (Har-Tru) 3-5 (Red clay) <4 (Green Clay)
Hard Court-
This type of court favors most forehands so most grips will suffice. Semi-Western is the preferred grip for this surface. Focus on consistency and pace. Since Hard-Court is considered a medium-fast surface, moving into the net for volleys is recommended. Long baseline rallies are not common but show up ocassionally. Note that painted hard courts (such as those coated by green sealant) play significantly faster and with lower bounce heights than normal hard courts.
Speed Rating: 6-8 (Normal) 7+ (Coated)
Synthetic/Composite-
In this case we will focus on the rubberized courts often found indoors. These usually have playing characteristics similar to clay in respect to bounce height and the effect of spin on the bounce, yet will have a speed rating similar to that of hard-court. There is no real special strategy for this surface (please tell me if there is one...) as it favors most playing styles. Note that the speed rating is large as it varies enourmously from surface to surface.
Please reply to this post with aditional information and tips.
Speed rating: 4+
