The sport of tennis was born on grass courts, but the landscape has drastically changed in the past few decades. Of the 64 stops on the ATP Tour this season, only seven of those tournaments are grass (38 are on hard courts, 19 on clay). The same is true of the 55 stops on the WTA Tour, with seven tournaments on grass versus the 38 on hard courts and the 19 on clay.
The biggest reason that grass courts have fallen out of fashion is that they are so expensive to maintain. They can cost more than double to build or to regularly maintain, since grass courts need to be carefully watered, mowed daily, and regularly fertilized. The line painting process is also more expensive and complicated.
Grass courts are also much more sensitive to changes in climate, making them virtually unplayable and easily damaged when wet. They also require re-turfing every few years, sometimes as few as two, while some hard courts can last over a decade without any resurfacing.
Because of their climate sensitivity, grass court season can only last for a certain part of the summer months each year. The grass court season only exists for five to six weeks each season, and the addition of a week between the French Open and Wimbledon in 2016 has only somewhat helped sustain it.
The US Open was played on grass until 1974, and the Australian Open was played on grass until 1987. Every grass season now starts in early June right after the French Open has concluded. The grass court season then runs until the two-week stretch in which the Wimbledon Championships occur.
Hard courts dominate the vast majority of the tennis season, and almost every newly announced tournament is played on the surface. There has also been a steep increase in hard court practice surfaces, meaning that players are less prepared to play on grass and clay. Organizers and administrators prefer the incredibly low maintenance costs and predictable court performance associated with hard courts.
Grass courts, at least in their most classic forms, are also disappearing because modern tennis is played very differently from how it once was. Tournaments have systematically adjusted court speed and turf types to create longer and more predictable rallies.
For example, the All England Tennis Club has been using tougher perennial ryegrass for Wimbledon matches since 2001. This created a slower pace and a higher, more consistent bounce while also improving durability against modern wear. Longer baseline rallies predictably followed.
Shifts in modern racket technology have also affected modern playing styles and the courts on which they are used. Contemporary frame structures and string technology now favor heavier and more powerful play that is centered around the baseline. Classic tennis technique was built around a faster, low-bouncing style that was better suited for grass matches.
Some players have sounded off on their displeasure with the slow disappearance of grass courts. At the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Alex de Minaur said, "I love the grass. In Australia from a young age, there's such a rich history and culture of playing on the grass. It's still my favourite. It's a shame there are not more tournaments."
On his Served podcast, former player Andy Roddick specifically complained about how there is not a single Masters 1000 tournament on grass, saying, "I wanted that forever. It should be the case." Since the series began in 1990, all tournaments have taken place on hard or clay courts.
However, Roddick also did say that the maintenance makes the situation impossible: "Roger Federer, the time he was going for his sixth win, could practice exactly 45 minutes a day on the outer courts of Wimbledon ... You don't get on the stadium like you do at the other [Grand Slams]. It's untenable on grass."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/onsi/serve as Why Grass Courts Are Disappearing from Professional Tennis .
