Fritton has four excellent tennis courts, two grass courts, one Belgian red clay court and one clay all-weather court.
Grass courts generally play much faster than clay or hard courts and the bounce of the ball can often be low and inconsistent which favours big servers and players with good hand skills for volleys . Grass courts also play differently depending upon weather conditions and so present challenges even for the most advanced players but are also incredible fun and evoke memories of long sunny days and barmy evenings - a really great experience for players of all abilities.
Clay courts require an entirely different style of play to grass courts. The ball bounces much higher and slower so that serves and volleys are not so effective as they are on grass. Clay courts require spin, tactics and patience plus fitness and athleticism to deal with longer rallies. The loose clay surface allows for sliding which is one of the most exhilarating parts of clay court play - wonderful fun and a real throwback to Paris, Monte Carlo or Madrid.
All-weather courts allow for play in almost all conditions. They have a smooth consistent bounce and are ideal for beginners as well as more advanced players. The all-weather court at Fritton is special in that it emulates the feel and play of a clay court while being more robust to accommodate the English weather.
Basic rules of Tennis
General Rules of Tennis:
- A ball must land within bounds for play to continue; if a player hits the ball outside of bounds, this results in the loss of the point for them.
- Players/teams cannot touch the net or posts or cross onto the opponent’s side.
- Players/teams cannot carry the ball or catch it with the racquet.
- Players cannot hit the ball twice.
- Players must wait until the ball passes the net before they can return it.
- A player that does not return a live ball before it bounces twice loses the point.
- If the ball hits or touches the players, that counts as a penalty.
- If the racquet leaves the hand or verbal abuse occurs, a penalty is given.
- Any ball that bounces on the lines of boundary are considered good.
- A serve must bounce first before the receiving player can return it.
Scoring:
- Points – Smallest unit of measurement. Points increment from Love(0)-15-30-40-game.
- Games – Games consist of 4 points each, and is won when a player reaches 4 points with at least a 2 point advantage.
- Sets – A set consists of 6 games and is won by the player/team who reaches 6 games first with least a 2 point lead.
- Advantage Set – If a game score of 6-6 is reached and advantage set rules are used, a player/team can only win a set with a 2 game lead.
- Matches – A match is usually played as best of 3 or best of 5 sets.
- Deuce – Occurs if a score of 40-40 is reached. In order to win the game, a player/team must win 2 consecutive points in order to take the game. If a player wins one point, they have advantage, but if they lose the next point, the score returns to deuce.
- Tie-break game – If a game score of 6-6 is reached and tie-break set rules are used, players must play a tie-break game in order to decide who wins the set. In a tie-break game, a player/team must reach 7 points with a two point advantage to win. For the serving format of a tie-break game, player 1 serves for the first point, player 2 serves for the next two points, player 1 serves for the next two points after that, etc.
Need help? Please call Club Sports on 01493484008