Tennis Courts at the Olympics
Tennis is among the most popular sports in the world. We either love to play it, watch it, or both. Ever wondered about the Olympics tennis courts?
Tennis is a pastime for many, whether it’s playing or watching it. But did you know that many of the sport’s rules are enforced based on the court itself? Olympics tennis courts are just a little different though.
Before we delve into Olympic tennis courts, let’s go over some important facts about tennis courts in general.
Each grand slam tournament has a specific surface: the Australian and US Opens are on hard court, the French Open on clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Uniquely, Wimbledon has always been played on the same surface.
According to International Tennis Federation’s regulations, a competitive tennis court must be rectangular, measuring 23.77 metres long. The width for doubles should be 10.97 metres and for singles, 8.23 metres.
Two parallel lines drawn horizontally along the width of the tennis court are called baselines. The lines running vertically along the length of the court are called sidelines. In each half, there’s a service line drawn 6.40 metres away from the net. The mid-points of the two service lines are joined by a vertical centre service line, which forms two rectangular boxes, called service areas, in each half of the tennis court. This area is crucial during serving.
Tennis at the Olympics
Obviously, the playing surface varies between Olympic Games. Since 1984, Olympic tennis has primarily been played on hard courts, except for the 1992 Olympics on clay, the 2012 Olympics on grass, and the 2024 Olympics on clay. And where were these Olympic Games? You guessed it. Barcelona, London and Paris – the tennis event being played on their most renowned courts.
The changing playing surface gives some players different advantages and disadvantages not seen in most other Olympic sports.
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