Top 20 Unusual Tennis court facts
The world of tennis holds some fascinating secrets and unusual facts that will leave you amazed. We’ve compiled twenty of the most mindblowing facts that are sure to entertain and inform.
1. Since 1995, Wimbledon has been mowed to a precise height of 8mm for optimum length for play and longevity.
2. The fastest recorded tennis serve was blasted by Aussie, Sam Groth at a staggering 263.4 km/h at the Busan Open Challenger Tennis event in 2012. https://www.tennis.com.au/player-profiles/sam-groth
3. The Burj Al Arab, a luxurious hotel in Dubai, boasts the world’s highest tennis court, perched 211m above ground.
4. The sounds of a tennis ball being hit can vary depending on the brand of the ball and the type of court surface.
5. The very first tennis court design was shaped like an hourglass. In 1875, the shape was adjusted to what we know today.
6. The first tennis court was erected at Hampton Court Palace between 1526 and 1529 and is still played on today. https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/royal-tennis-at-hampton-court/
7. Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam to have always been played on grass. The rest have switched their surfaces.
8. The U.S. Open is the only major to have been played on all three surfaces – grass, clay, and hard.
9. Tennis was initially played on hard surfaces like stone or wood.
10. ‘Real tennis’, formerly known as ‘Royal tennis’ in Australia, is the precursor to modern tennis and was played on a hard court surrounded by four walls.
11. There are currently 47 ‘Real tennis’ courts in the world with the newest opening in August 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
12. Grass courts only became a thing in the late 18th century with the introduction of lawn tennis.
13. Clay courts were created in the late 19th century because professional tennis player William Renshaw was sick of watering his grass court.
14. Modern clay courts are made from ground white limestone, red brick dust, ground gravel, and clonker which is a coal residue.
15. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played an exhibition match on a specially-made floating court in Doha Bay, Qatar. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1343929/Rafael-Nadal-Roger-Federer-play-tennis-Qatars-floating-court.html
16. Federer and Nadal also played a “battle of the surfaces” match on a half-grass, half-clay court in Spain.
17. Courts should be oriented north-south to protect both players from the sun’s direct rays.
18. In the Tanzanian Savannah in the Serengeti National Park, there is an unfenced tennis court where zebras, antelopes, and lions are your free-roaming spectators.
19. Outdoor tennis courts are built with a gradient of up to 1% for drainage.
20. Would you be surprised to know that it would take more than 58,000 tennis balls to cover a single court?
Now that you are ready for random tennis trivia, contact us today to learn more about our services and the wide range of tennis court accessories and equipment we offer.