Clay court

A clay court is one of the types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis is played. Clay courts are built on a foundation of crushed stone, particularly limestone, shale, and other aggregate, with a thin layer of fine clay particles on top. Clay courts are more common in Continental Europe and Latin America than in North America, Asia-Pacific, or Britain. The only Grand Slam tournament that uses clay courts is the French Open.

Clay courts come in the more common red clay, a distinctive color obtained from the superior layer of thin crushed brick, and the slightly harder green clay, which is actually crushed metabasalt. Although slightly less expensive to construct than other types of tennis courts, clay requires much maintenance: the surface must be watered and rolled regularly to preserve texture and flatness, and brushed carefully before and during each match.^[1]