Clay court

A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, particularly limestone, shale, and other aggregate, with a thin layer of fine clay particles on top. Clay courts are more common in Continental Europe and Latin America than in North America, Asia-Pacific, or Britain. The only Grand Slam tournament that uses clay courts is the French Open.

Clay courts come in the more common red clay, a distinctive color obtained from the superior layer of thin crushed brick, and the slightly harder green clay, which is actually crushed metabasalt. Although slightly less expensive to construct than other types of tennis courts, clay requires much maintenance: the surface must be watered and rolled regularly to preserve texture and flatness, and brushed carefully before and during each match.

Early history

Clay courts, although now commonly associated with continental Europe, were said to be the creation of the English tennis player William Renshaw (a seven times Wimbledon champion) and his twin brother Ernest. The Renshaws had built a grass court at their summer home on the French Riviera, but found it unable to withstand prolonged exposure to heat and sunlight. To remedy this, in 1890 William Renshaw decided that the court should be covered with a fine powder that would protect it from the sun's rays. This powder was sourced from discarded terracotta discovered at a small ceramics factory in Vallauris, near Cannes, where the brothers regularly purchased decorative pots for their garden.