Tennis and pickleball are sports with multiple types of acceptable playing surfaces. Even at the highest level of international competition, professional tournaments are held on a variety of different surface types.
The U.S. and Australian Opens are played on hard courts, while the French Open at Roland-Garros is played on red clay courts, and Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world, is still played on all-grass courts.
Broadly speaking, there are three main types of tennis court surfaces:
In Canada, tennis is played primarily on hard tennis courts. Hard courts are made from an asphalt or concrete base and acrylic surfaces. Concrete and asphalt courts are found all over North America because hard courts that are properly built and maintained tend to be highly resistant to the elements and weather, making them ideal for outdoor courts.
They are also a popular choice for indoor courts because they are cost-effective, highly customizable in terms of color and surface pace and versatile enough for multi-sport courts.
Clay tennis courts provide a slower surface pace and higher ball bounce than asphalt tennis courts. These soft court surfaces offer some interesting play dynamics, but this tennis surface is not well suited to all climatic conditions, which is why they are more popular in warmer climates. Requiring water, rolling and brushing for optimal play conditions, clay courts cannot be used in freezing conditions, which is why they are ill-suited to the Canadian climate.
Whether natural grass or some sort of synthetic turf imitation, grass and artificial grass court surfaces offer the combination of fast play with a soft surface. Loved by tennis players but harder to build and maintain than other surfaces, grass courts require significant maintenance and upkeep to remain playable. Because they have specific climatic, watering and soil conditions, natural grass courts are few and far between in North America.
As tennis players know, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) breaks down tennis court surfaces into five categories, ranging from slow (Category 1) to very fast (Category 5), based on a measurement known as the court pace rating (CPR). Court pace ratings quantify the interaction between a ball and the tennis surface using various metrics, such as post-impact ball velocity and vertical restitution.
With MAPEI’s systems and products for tennis court surfaces, anyone looking to install or repair a tennis or pickleball court surface can achieve their desired playing surface, thanks to products specifically designed and approved to consistently meet the requirements of the ITF:
For durability, playability and versatility, a hard tennis court surface is the best choice for both indoor and outdoor tennis courts in North America.
Whether you are considering a new tennis court project or looking for ways to repair and improve existing tennis and pickeball courts, MAPEI’s single-source sports surface solutions, Mapecoat TNS, are highly specialized products designed specifically for the installation of new or refurbished tennis court surfaces.
Designed for high UV-resistance and low maintenance throughout their lifetime, Mapecoat TNS products have been certified by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and MAPEI is a member of the American Sports Builders Association (ASBA), Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) and Professional Pickleball Registry (PPR).
Covering the full range of system solutions for tennis courts, as well as pickleball courts, skating rinks, and multifunction arenas, Mapecoat TNS products were designed to address the most common issues faced by these installations, such as cracks, potholes and moisture damage.
The Mapecoat TNS line of products includes everything one might need for a new tennis and pickleball court construction, however, this section will assume an existing asphalt or cementitious substrate, to focus on a surface refurbishment.
Refurbishing an existing substrate begins with applying an acrylic base coating to prepare the surface for reinforcement, colors and topcoats.
The preparation is based on what the floor is made of. It could be asphalt, concrete or acrylic hardcourts. Whatever it is, MAPEI can offer specific solutions for your needs. Here are the 3 main products for preparation:
Mapecoat TNS Base Coat Binder is a flexible, fast-set, 100%-acrylic latex compound for indoor and outdoor surfaces, used as a basecoat to prepare asphalt and pre-treated concrete surfaces before applying additional Mapecoat TNS products.
Mapenet Reinforced is a fiberglass, thin, strong and flexible mesh that enhances the performance of Mapecoat TNS Reinforced system. Embedded in the system, Mapenet Reinforced allows renewal of cracked, acrylic-coated, asphalt playing surfaces to be renewed without having to demolish and rebuild the substrate.
Once your substrate has been prepared, the remaining steps are to apply a base color before the final, textured finish.
Mapecoat TNS Base Color is a flexible, acrylic base color coating, available in 29 standard colors as well as virtually unlimited custom color options thanks to ColorMapTM system technology.
For a premium look and feel, Mapecoat TNS Finish 1 or Mapecoat TNS Binder are easily applied with a soft rubber squeegee, creating a durable finish befitting of a professional tour, just as much as recreational surfaces. These easy-to-use products feature superior elongation and flexibility for optimal surface coverage.
MAPEI’s sports flooring solutions are not limited to just tennis courts. Playing surfaces for pickleball, basketball, cycling and even inline roller skating can be easily refurbished and brought to new levels of performance with the Mapecoat TNS line of products.
Suitable for both temporary and permanent applications, both indoors and outdoors, Mapecoat TNS offers nearly infinite color customization possibilities while allowing owners to save time and money thanks to long-lasting refurbishment solutions.
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