FIRETennis
Professional
In my part of the world, 90% of courts are clay and 99.9% of players want to play only on clay.
I learned to play tennis on red clay but recently spent some time playing on Plexipave Plexicushion "hard" courts. I actually discovered my hate for clay growing bigger and bigger the more I play on cushioned hard courts.
Most of the clay courts available are ... really badly maintained with dusty, bumpy huge chunks of clay. It makes for a very unpredictable game where every bounce is completely random.
Lines are very difficult to see after a few games, even when brushed and all gear gets dirty and super dusty. Strings break on clay twice as fast as on hard court for me.
I partially agree that clay is better for your joints however with two sprained ankles and weekly slips after bad slides, I feel almost more fresh after a couple hours on a cushioned hard then grinding on clay.
Clay does build consistency in the points but at the same time it eliminates the advantages of big serves, attacking groundstrokes and a net game.
Just wanted to hear the community's thoughts if anyone else is in my shoes that dislikes clay despite playing on it for many years ...
I learned to play tennis on red clay but recently spent some time playing on Plexipave Plexicushion "hard" courts. I actually discovered my hate for clay growing bigger and bigger the more I play on cushioned hard courts.
Most of the clay courts available are ... really badly maintained with dusty, bumpy huge chunks of clay. It makes for a very unpredictable game where every bounce is completely random.
Lines are very difficult to see after a few games, even when brushed and all gear gets dirty and super dusty. Strings break on clay twice as fast as on hard court for me.
I partially agree that clay is better for your joints however with two sprained ankles and weekly slips after bad slides, I feel almost more fresh after a couple hours on a cushioned hard then grinding on clay.
Clay does build consistency in the points but at the same time it eliminates the advantages of big serves, attacking groundstrokes and a net game.
Just wanted to hear the community's thoughts if anyone else is in my shoes that dislikes clay despite playing on it for many years ...