RACQUET SPORTS TIPS

Learn Tennis in Ocean City – Tennis is Easy!

Learn Tennis in Ocean City – Sportsmanship

Learn Tennis in Ocean City – Pickleball Basics

Learn Tennis in Ocean City – Master the Volley

BENEFITS OF CLAY COURTS

TRY OUT THE CLAY COURTS AT THE OCEAN CITY RACQUET CENTER!

The Ocean City Racquet Center is pleased to provide you with the opportunity to enjoy tennis on our three soft clay courts (Har Tru). These courts are the Crown Jewel of the Ocean City Racquet Center. If you have never tried playing on clay, you will be amazed at the benefits that accrue from this experience (see details below). We are open to the public, so call and reserve a clay court today!

BETTER FOR YOUR HEALTH. BETTER FOR YOUR GAME

Har-Tru courts reduce the risk of injury.
Half of all tennis players are likely to suffer an injury during a typical season of play. The primary reason: the court surface and the shoe. But clay surfaces allow sliding, which results in seven times fewer injuries than surfaces which do not. Har-Tru surfaces allow players to slide and recover under control, instead of slamming down onto the court, absorbing the shock in every joint in the body.

Clay is cooler. Literally.
Other dark-colored surfaces absorb and retain the sun’s heat. Har-Tru surfaces retain their moisture and breathe, keeping the surface an average of 20% cooler than hard courts, even during the hottest days of summer.

Slower ball speed means a more enjoyable game.
The ball bounce on a clay court is slower than other surfaces. This means more time to get to shots resulting in longer rallies that are less strenuous on the body.

Players develop a better, more well-rounded game.
An analysis of the world’s top tennis players shows that most had extensive clay court training in their formative years. Clay court play develops toughness, stamina, patience and strategy that hard court play does not.

Clay dries quickly and is environmentally safe.
Unlike hard court surfaces, players can be on a clay court in a matter of minutes after a rain shower. Har-Tru is made up of natural, crushed, green stone, leaving no chemicals or toxic waste. Har-Tru absorbs water quickly, solves run-off control issues, and gets players back on the court for an exciting match.

TENNIS RULES

Question: During my match, I did not pick up a ball on my side of the court because it was closer to the net and out of the way in my mind. During the following point, the ball landed on the ball left on the court. I was not able to reach the ball that was misdirected as a result of hitting the ball. Can I call a let? What happens when a ball in play hits a ball lying on the court? Whose call is it?

ANSWER:  No, you may not call a let in this situation. Because you chose to leave the ball on the court, it became part of the court for that point and you accepted the risk of the ball in play bouncing off the stray ball. Per Rule 26, you are not entitled to a let for hindrance when the hindrance is something you caused.

Question: In a doubles match, my opponent kept saying good shot every time his partner hit the ball. I asked him to stop because it was distracting. He responded that he could talk as much as he wanted as long as the ball was on his side of the court. I think he is wrong and that it is a hindrance. Who is correct?

ANSWER: The Code #34 says, “Talking between doubles partners when the ball is moving toward them is allowed. Doubles players should not talk when the ball is moving toward their opponent’s court.”  In the scenario you described, the comments were being made after the partner hit the ball which would mean the ball was traveling away from them and toward you and your partner. This would be grounds to call a hindrance, but remember, it must be done as soon as possible.