Clay Court Tennis Tips

As the pros are about to start the clay court season, this seems like a good time to talk about some of the particulars of playing on the surface. Making the transition from hard courts to clay courts can be a challenge. Here are a few simple rules to help you succeed quickly on clay.

clay tennis court
Red clay tennis court
  1.    You must get a high percentage of first serves in. Second serves are much easier to take advantage of on this slower surface. Use more of a kick serve or a slice to help your percentage. See previous tips Kick(serve) some Butt!/ Kick(serve) some Butt(2)!/
  2.    Always hit behind your opponent in a ground stroke rally. In other words, don’t hit to the open court unless you can hit a winner. Also hit higher over the net with topspin for consistency. See tips Hit “de fence”, stay on offense/ One more ball
  3.   Lastly, once you have control of a point and can hit a winning volley, make sure you move forward through the shot. On clay, the ball doesn’t penetrate like it does on a hard court, so it’s important to keep you body weight going forward to add power to the shot. 

Practice these techniques on the clay and watch your winning percentage go up!