HOME>Tennis Court>Structure Tennis Court Facilities Surface Drainage Fence Lights Backboards Court Accessories/Equipment Umpire chairs, net posts, nets, cabanas & awnings, benches, score keepers, etc. (Clay court equipment: line cars, rollers, brushes.) Surfacing Tennis court surface consists of a crushed stone layer, a middle layer and a surface layer.   According to surface material, tennis courts are classified into clay courts, urethane courts, and artificial turf courts. Clay courts are cheap to construct and topped with mixed natural clay (silt + sand + lime) which allows slip and cushioning, thus protecting players’ ankles and knee-joints. susceptible to bad weather and temperature change, so they require careful maintenance. Urethane courts and artificial turf courts are more expensive to construct than clay courts, but playable right after rain, easy to maintain, and comfortable underfoot Comparison of Tennis Court Surfaces Classification Clay Courts Urethane Courts Artificial Turf Courts Strength - Comfortable underfoot - Provide optimal slip and 　cushioning - Cheap to construct - Playable right after rain - Low maintenance - Comfortable underfoot - Shock absorption - Various color choices - No dust - Look evergreen - Low maintenance - Comfortable underfoot - Shock absorption - Partial repair is possible - No dust Weakness - Fast recovery from rain - Susceptible to weather 　change - High maintenance cost - Expensive to construct - Fast ball bounce - Expensive to construct - Not widespread Drainage Facilities Surface Drainage A successfully built court should quickly drain water after rain, and should not form pools on the surface. The court surface should be slopped with 0.5% angle to allow water run-off. Drainage ways should be laid along the border of the court to drain water quickly, prevent sand loss, and maintain the surrounding area clean. Leveling of the entire court surfaces should be done for the surface flatness to prevent the formation of water pools. Installation of Seepage Drainage (Underground Drainage) for Clay Courts Perforated pipes are embedded to help the drainage of water seeping from the surface and its flow underground. Perforated pipes must be wrapped in geotextile to prevent surface silt and fine sand from contaminating and clogging the pipes. In dry seasons, the remaining moisture in the perforated pipes also prevents the surface from drying up. Fence Facilities Every material used in fence must be plated with molten zinc and the wire net should be PVC-coated to prevent fence from rusting.   (To prevent balls from getting stuck between the wires, the wire size should be #10, 50x50 or below.) The fence height is 3m, and the space between fences should not be 50mm or more not to allow balls to pass through. Install a regular door(H=2m, W=3m) and an exit (H=2m, W=1m) at the designated area, and fix fence posts with concrete and supporting posts to prepare for bad weather. Light Facilities Generally, four light posts are installed per two courts at both sides. (per one post: 8-10 metal lights of 400W are installed) As outdoor lighting is exposed to bad weather, it has to be durable and give off even intensity of illumination so as not to interrupt players’ movement. For easy maintenance works, footing nuts (10mm) should be installed on the posts at regular intervals.