What kind of surface was this?

[Grover Sparkman]

I played a (friendly) match yesterday with a friend of mine at his apartment complex tennis court. I took a ball and started dribbling it with my racquet and noticed it had the weirdest thud to it. At first I thought there was something wrong with the balls.

I looked at the the surface some more closely and realized it wasn't a concrete hardcourt. It looked like concrete, but played much slower. It wasn't entirely unlike clay in the way that it played. I noticed it looked it was an asphalt or concrete surface with some sort of plasticky/rubber layer on top of it.

Have you guys ever played on this surface? Yesterday was my first time and it threw me for a loop.

 

[Steezmuffin]

Could it of been plexicushion. What they use at the AO?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plexicushion

 

[kylebarendrick]

One of the courts near us has a similar surface. The "thud" is the most obvious symptom but the ball really dies. I hate playing there.

 

[Svenskpor]

Courts in Alexandria, VA used to have a rubber mat laid out in grids over concrete. I believe it was called Duragrid. The effect was of courts that were very fast and low bouncing.

If it is just concrete sounds like the courts under-layers may not have been put down correctly. The private courts at my old development played very similarly to yours (sounded like it was hollow underneath the courts)

 

[kylebarendrick]

I looked it up, the courts near us are "Nova Pro Cushioned material". This is the Livermore club in Norcal.

 

[Grover Sparkman]

Could it of been plexicushion. What they use at the AO?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plexicushion

One of the courts near us has a similar surface. The "thud" is the most obvious symptom but the ball really dies. I hate playing there.

Likely something like this. It felt like this with a layer of 400 grit sandpaper on top of it. I'd hit a shot with a lot of topspin that would normally get a good bounce, or what would normally be a wicked slice and it would just die.

I didn't especially care for it either.

 

[serve and Justin]

here in Chicago they have a hard court that is supposed to be like clay...never actually played on it but I hear its not really close to the real thing...

it would be odd for to have clay like bounce without sliding to shots.

 

[volleyman]

Sounds like this stuff: http://www.premiercourt.com

It's what they use on the public courts in Durham. Unfortunately, here they seem to forget that bit about reapplying the coatings every 5 years, so many of the courts are in horrible shape from the padding rotting out.

When it's new, or well maintained, it's an OK surface. When it's not been maintained, it can be just hellish to play on.

 

[kopi360]

I noticed it looked it was an asphalt or concrete surface with some sort of plasticky/rubber layer on top of it.

Typically the cushioned surfaces don't have a rubbery layer on top but underneath it. Here is what DecoTurf looks like:

The court you encountered sounds weird. Perhaps they tried to put something over a concrete court that was there before, thinking it would help lower joint impact.