If you are a tennis fan and actually play yourself, you may well have experienced a game on a clay court. This is the very old, red surface that has been used in countries like France and Spain since the game originated.

This is a unique surface and makes the style of play completely different from other surfaces. To actually play on clay is an exhilarating experience.

If you have never had the pleasure of playing on red clay, and would like to know a little more about it, here’s a few interesting facts.

The serve and volley players who regularly record wins on other surfaces will often struggle on the red clay. To win on this surface you will be playing from the baseline with punishing ground strokes.

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.

So why is the strategy for this game so different? Well, it is very simple, the clay is a thick and heavy surface which sticks to the ball and therefore slows it Down considerably.

You won’t see the ball speeding up after it has hit the clay, as you would on a hard court. The thick clay will have the opposite effect.

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.

Speed is the key on clay, to reach the ball early while it is still on the rise and put it away thanks to a thumping ground stroke.

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