Ranking my favorite tennis court surfaces because why the hell not.

Hard court – 9.5 out of 10

The best there is hands down. The bounce is consistent: the balls don’t randomly go left or right or 1m higher or 1m lower then they should. No weird bounces when the ball touches the line. Plays really fast which suits my style. In our case, hard courts are indoor only which means no wind, sun or any other annoying factors. The only real downside is that the surface literally eats your shoes and once they have no grip, it feels like you are a cow on ice. Generally heavy on the body, you really feel the shock of the impact in your bones.

Clay court – 7 out of 10

Well maintained clay court is somewhat predictable but those with too much clay or too many bumps are very frustrating. Plays slow and with a high bounce (my nightmare), is subject to every weather condition under the sun and when the ball touches the line, the rest of its trajectory is often unknown. On a positive note, it is much easier on the body in terms of ground impact and favors my drop shots and low slices. Added bonus: if you doubt if ball was in or out, you can often check the marks on the ground.

Concrete and carpet courts – 5 out of 10

Concrete is tolerable as long as it’s actually even. In a way similar to hard court but just doesn’t have the same effect at the end. I, however, have played on some horrible concrete courts that shouldn’t see a light of day with how many random holes were in there. Carpet is also okayish, not too common anymore thankfully. Somewhat predictable bounce, plays fast but my feet never feel comfortable actively moving on it.

Smash court – 0.5 out of 10

I’m kindly asking to please burn this surface in hell. Shit bounce, slippery under feet (even with dry weather) and just generally so bad I could cry.

Not ranked: grass court

I have never had an opportunity to play on one. On paper sounds like it could be both good and bad: plays fast which is good but low at the same time which if too low, can be tricky for me.