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A clay court is one of the four different types of tennis court. Clay courts are made of crushed shale, stone or brick, and can be either red or green. The red clay is slower than the green, or Har-Tru® "American" clay. The French Open uses clay courts.
Clay courts are considered "slow", because the balls bounce relatively high and more slowly, making it more difficult for a player to hit an unreturnable shot. Points are usually longer as there are fewer winners. Therefore, clay courts heavily favor baseliners who are consistent and are generally more defensive.
Clay courters also favor the "full western grip" for more topspin. Clay courters generally play in a semi circle about 5 to 10 feet behind the baseline. They also use drop shots to throw off their opponents. Currently, the best clay court player is Rafael Nadal from Spain, who holds the men's record with 60 consecutive wins on clay courts with two French Open titles coming during his streak.
Types of clay
There are two different types of clay:
Red clay
Red clay is made of crushed brick that is packed to make the court, it is then covered with a topping of additional crushed particles. This surface is the most common in Europe and South America.Green clay
Green clay is similar to red clay. Green clay is packed to make the subsurface, it is then covered with a topping. These clay courts are found in the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States. Green clay courts are often referred to as "rubico."Professional Tournaments Played on Clay
ATP Tournaments Played on Red Clay
- Movistar Open (Viña del Mar, Chile)
- Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
- Brasil Open (Costa do Sauipe, Brazil)
- Abierto Mexicano Telcel (Acapulco, Mexico)
- U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships (Houston, USA)
- Open de Tenis Comunidad Valenciana (Valencia, Spain)
- Masters Series Monte-Carlo (Monte Carlo, Monaco)
- Open SEAT Trofeo Conde de Godό (Barcelona, Spain)
- Grand Prix Hassan II (Casablanca, Morocco)
- Estoril Open (Estoril, Portugal)
- BMW Open (Munich, Germany)
- Telecom Italia Masters (Rome, Italy)
- Masters Series Hamburg (Hamburg, Germany)
- Hypo Group Tennis International (St. Pölten, Austria)
- French Open (Paris, France)
- Allianz Suisse Open (Gstaad, Switzerland)
- Swedish Open (Bastad, Sweden)
- Mercedes Cup (Stuttgart, Germany)
- Dutch Open (Amersfoort, Netherlands)
- Generali Open (Kitzbühel, Austria)
- Croatia Open (Umag, Croatia)
- Orange Prokom Open (Sopot, Poland)
- Open Romania (Bucharest, Romania)
- Campionati Internazionali Di Sicilia (Palermo, Italy)
WTA Tournaments Played on Green Clay
- Bausch & Lomb Championships (Amelia Island, USA)
- Family Circle Cup (Charleston, USA)
WTA Tournaments Played on Red Clay
- Copa Colsanitas (Bogotá, Colombia)
- Abierto Mexicano Telcel (Acapulco, Mexico)
- Estoril Open (Estoril, Portugal)
- J & S Cup (Warsaw, Poland)
- German Open (Berlin, Germany)
- Prague Open (Prague, Czech Republic)
- Italian Open (Rome, Italy)
- Grand Prix La Princesse Lalla Meryem (Casablanca, Morocco)
- Istanbul Cup (Istanbul, Turkey)
- Internationaux de Strasbourg (Strasbourg, France)
- French Open(Paris, France)
- Internazionali di Modena (Modena, Italy)
- Internazionali Femminili di Palermo (Palermo, Italy)
- Budapest Grand Prix (Budapest, Hungary)
References
Tennis Science
St Mary's Tennis Club. A good example of a typical English Clay Court club (with photos)
"Clay court"