What types of surface are used in tennis?

An emblematic surface in France and Europe, clay is used not only at the French Open, but also in many clubs and academies. Depending on how the court has been constructed, clay generates a high, slow bounce, making rallies longer.

It favours a tactical style of play, based on patience, lift, variation and placement. Players need to slide well and maintain their endurance over the long term.

There is also synthetic clay, used indoors. It dries quickly, requires no watering and offers a reliable alternative to the traditional version.

→ To find out more about clay courts

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This is the most common surface on the ATP and WTA tours. It is used in Grand Slams such as theUS Open andAustralian Open. It offers a medium bounce and a good balance between speed and control.

Suitable for all styles of play, it allows you to alternate between attacking, defending, coming up to the net and playing from the baseline. It’s also the easiest for clubs to maintain.

Used both outdoors and indoors, it is a very standard surface in international tournaments.

→ To find out more about hard courts, click here.

This is the historic surface of tennis, used in particular at Wimbledon, England’s most prestigious tournament. Although it is rarely used in clubs for reasons of cost and maintenance, it is still very specific.

Very fast, it gives an advantage to players with a powerful serve, attacking game and serve-volley, and requires great alertness.

The bounce is low and irregular, making exchanges short and dynamic. Few tournaments are played on grass today, but the surface remains mythical.

→ To find out more about grass courts click here.

Each tennis surface has specific characteristics that directly influence the physical and technical qualities needed to perform. Choosing the right surface also means adapting your game to your strengths.

The professional circuit is punctuated by a succession of major tournaments, played on different surfaces. Each type of surface (clay, hard, grass) imposes different playing conditions, influencing the style of the players and the strategy they adopt.

At the Mouratoglou Academy, players work in an environment designed to help them progress on the main surfaces used in competition.

The Academy offers one of the most comprehensive infrastructures in Europe, with 33 tennis courts, divided into :

• Natural clay courts: perfect for developing your ground game, consistency, sliding and tactics.
• Hard courts (GreenSet): for working on speed, explosiveness and hitting accuracy.
• Synthetic clay courts: a dry, consistent surface that can be used in all weathers, with a feel similar to traditional clay.
• Semi-covered courts: to guarantee regular practice even in unstable weather conditions.

This diversity allows players to explore the styles of play specific to each surface, adapting to the characteristics of bounce, rhythm, movement and strategy.

Our training sessions are tailored to individual needs, with tactical and technical monitoring to help each player better understand how to adapt his or her game to suit the type of court. Whether you’re on a training camp,studying tennis or preparing for a competition, every session is an opportunity to become a more complete player.

The ability to play on different surfaces is a major strategic advantage, and the Mouratoglou Academy makes this versatility a pillar of its training methodology.