The red clay that is used as the surface on a tennis court originated right back to the origins of the game. If you play tennis yourself, you have been privileged to have a game on this famous surface. The history of the red clay court is particularly prevalent in Spain and the home of the only major played on clay; France.

There is no other surface quite like clay to have a game of tennis on. The strong red color is very attractive and literally makes tennis a whole different ball game!

We are all fascinated by both its appearance and the way that red clay changes the game of tennis. Here are a few snippets of information that you may not already know.

A player who constantly serves and volleys on other surfaces will find themselves really struggling on the class. As will those whose success depends on the accuracy of their booming serves.

To see a player approach the net is a great rarity on clay. The baseline player is the one who will win through on the red clay court.

If you weren’t aware already, clay is a very thick compound. It is the thickest of all the surfaces and instead of the ball hitting the surface and then speeding up, the clay slows it down.

Where as on other surfaces such as hard courts the ball skids along the surface at speed, on clay courts it is slowed right down by the thickness of the surface.

There have been some marathon tennis matches played on clay, and that has been because the ball has slowed as it hits the surface and given the player time to be able to reach it.

The rallies are obviously longer and shots easier to reach than they would be on the fast courts. A sure fire winner on grass is probably reachable on clay.

Although the ball is easier to reach, the faster player will always have the advantage over their slower opponents.

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