Play tennis on a plexiglass court

Of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the US Open and the Australian Open use Plexipave-coated hard courts. Wimbledon is steeped in tradition and keeps the grass short, but that surface has mostly disappeared elsewhere. The French Open has a clay court, which is still widely used in some places, including South America and Europe; there are also a few clay courts in the United States.

Clay courts are made from crushed shale, stone, or brick. Clay has always been a much-loved tennis court surface and generally allows for good playing conditions. It is a slower moving surface than hard courts and even slower than short grass, and this allows top players to master the extremely strong topspin they put on their balls to make them “jump” off the surface, confusing or dominating. to your opponent. However, the clay court does not always provide good consistent playing qualities: a long set or match played on clay can cause the surface to wear and dimple, so occasionally a tennis ball takes a strange and unpredictable bounce and costs the one that returns to the point. It is extremely soft and unplayable during rainy weather. But during dry spells it can become like granite and tennis balls, and players’ feet can kick up dust. It’s also easier to slide too far and lose your balance on clay courts than on other surfaces.

But concrete and asphalt, where players don’t slip and slide as much, where there are no dimples with prolonged play, and where those with faster game can thrive, have a couple of serious drawbacks due to their extreme hardness: which means intense wear and tear on the muscles and joints, and blisters on the feet, and their notable lack of elasticity. Then there is the heat that rises from the surface in the summer…

In the 1950s, Plexipave was developed in Australia for molding and laying on asphalt and concrete tennis court surfaces. This one features a Plexicushion substrate made from a proprietary blend of rubber, latex, and plastic particles. What tennis players get is a durable shell that absorbs shock to the body and reduces muscle fatigue. The 100% acrylic Plexipave surface provides consistent, consistent ball bounce, can be designed specifically for the desired speed of play, and provides the key footwork grips tennis players want on that court. The Plexipave system also comes with a proprietary color finish, which is a fast-drying, all-weather color surface that provides the highest quality UV fade resistance.

Plexipave is a surface for all seasons. It dries quickly after rain and is a perfect anti-glare finish. Although it increases players’ visibility on the court, it reduces the temperature of the tennis court by an average of 5°C to 7°C. The surface is allowed to breathe, but without losing any of its solid bond to the underlying asphalt or concrete.

From a financial point of view, a Plexipave surface on a well-constructed asphalt or concrete tennis court is easily renewed. There is no need for reconstruction or removal of the surface. For the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, in 2000, Plexipave was chosen as the “urban forest” pedestrian surface to be placed around Australia’s stadium. That Plexipave surface still remains, a testament to its incredible durability.