How to play tennis on grass

Some tennis players simply cannot play on grass, like some can’t play on clay. Both surfaces need different skills and different tactics.

There are always exceptions though. Bjorn Borg won 5 Wimbledon’s in a row and he was a baseliner. Lleyton Hewitt has also won at Wimbledon and he also has a baseline game.



But look at the and you will see that most winners were serve volley players. Australian tennis players feature quite prominently because until recently they learned on grass. Female winners like Evonne Goolagong and Margaret Court also learnt on grass. Martina Navratilova was also a serve volleyer in the women’s draw and she won 6 Wimbledon’s in a row and 3 others. Venus and Serena Williams have been recent winners due to their power game and serves. They can also play from anywhere in the court.


Why does it make a difference?



Grass courts are the fastest tennis courts. They consist of grass grown on very hard-packed soil, similar to golf greens which mean that bounces of the ball depend on how healthy the grass is, how recently it has been mowed, and the wear and tear of recent play.
Points are usually very short and the serve plays a more important role. Grass courts tend to favor serve-and-volley tennis players.
The most famous grass tennis court in the world is Centre Court at Wimbledon. The surface is less firm than hard courts, causing the ball to bounce less high, and so players must reach the ball faster.
Serve and volley players take advantage of the surface by serving the ball and then running to the net to cut off the return of serve, leaving their opponent with little time to reach the low-bouncing, fast-moving ball.

Due to high maintenance costs however, grass courts are now rare as they must be watered and mowed often, and take a longer time to dry after rain than hard courts.
What are the skills required for playing on clay?
Here we see a different story with people like Pete Sampras never winning at the French Open (clay) but winning many Wimbledon's. It always raises the question of what makes for the best player ever. Must they be able to win on every surface? They certainly have to play on every surface to win the Grand Slam. Roger Federer, for example, will probably win Wimbledon but he lost to Rafael Nadal in the French Final, thus losing the opportunity to win a Grand Slam in a non-calendar year (he only had to win the French to do that and only 2 other players have ever done that) and he won't win the Grand Slam in the one calendar year this year now either.