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We all dream of our own private tennis court – an sporting oasis where friends and family come to play and hang, and where games turn into impromptu parties with endless Instagram moments. But back in the real world, unused courts often end up as little more than a sad target range for the local squadron of pigeons. If this sounds like your court, don’t despair: add a few finishing touches and you can quickly bring a court to life.
There are two major objectives to keep in mind: firstly, the court has to be easy to keep in match condition – nobody is going to hit a ball around for an hour if they have to spend half and hour cleaning leaves and generally messing about. Secondly, the court has to be a fun place to hang out – there are few things less inviting than a patch of scorching hot tarmac that looks more like a car park with bits of netting and a few lines.
The Essentials
Maintaining The Court Surface
Your Court has to have a clean playing surface – that’s a deal breaker. Dirty surfaces don’t just look bad, they’re also an accident waiting to happen: add a little moisture to a dusty surface and you’ll start sliding unpredictably. Turn your ankle or twist your knee and the party’s over for the summer. Pressure washers are great for a really dirty court, but you have to be extremely careful with the pressure setting – too high and you can damage the surface. Regular upkeep is all about prevention – and that starts with removing lose dust, leaves etc every time you play. The traditional way is with a soft bristle broom, which can be used on a dry court or in combination with a hose.
If time is of the essence, and your neighbours aren’t too noise sensitive, then a powerful leaf blower is a great alternative. It may not get every stuck particle that a broom might, but they’re so fast that you’re far more likely to actually use one compared to a broom. Leaf blowers excel in fall, when every tree in the neighbourhood seems to be hell-bent on disrupting tennis. Rechargeable models now rule: plenty of power, no chords to wrangle, and no messing about with petrol and servicing. High end models like this Husqvarna even have the power to disperse puddles of water.
Another great way to clean a court is to hose the surface down, then push the water off the court using a squeegee. You’ll be amazed how much dust comes off. Squeegees are also great for removing puddles after rain. The blade type is excellent if you have a good, flat surface. Sponge rollers are better if you have significant dips and irregularities.
One more cleaning device that might be worth looking into is a water broom. They’re not cheap, but they do allow you to spray down a large area quickly and they wash detritus in front of them, allowing you to move it off the court.
Court Accessories
Once you’ve sorted out basic court surface maintenance, there are a few boring but important items that can really improve how a court looks and functions. First off, you need a bench by the net – great for sitting on during changeovers, but equally useful to keep kit bags, towels and drinks off the hot ground.
A netpost mounted trash can is another boring but useful accessory: darting around the court trying to pick up those annoying bits of plastic that seem to appear from nowhere gets old fast.
A ball hopper is another vital bit of kit – you can use it for picking up balls and ball storage. Some designs also have handles that flip around to act as a stand – no more bending over to pick up balls when you’re practicing your serve.
A wire mesh ball cart is an extremely efficient way of managing all your gear – there’s a reason every coaching pro has one. They store over 100 balls and allow you to grab a handful without bending over. They can be combined with a ball hopper for picking balls up from the ground. A great accessory if you’re teaching your kid to play. They also allow you to transport all your gear on and off court in one trip.
If your court is more than a few yards from your house or garage, then you won’t want to keep lugging gear back and forwards every time you play. Leaving gear out isn’t ideal – balls get wet and anything that’s not bolted down can get blown around in a storm. A decent waterproof storage box is the answer – storage boxes may not be the stuff of dreams, but they really can come in handy.
One final entry for the boring but important list: a first aid kit. Eventually somebody’s going to fall, and hard courts can be pretty unforgiving. Kids are especially prone to cuts and scrapes, but even the most coordinated adults wipe out occasionally. And while you’re buying a first aid kit, get yourself a can of spray on antiseptic – its great stuff!
The Fun Stuff
Now you have the basics covered, its time to make your court into a place where you’ll want to hang out. The first thing to consider is buying a set of mesh sightscreens – they instantly turn an open space into an intimate court, as well as making balls much easier to see and moderating the wind slightly. You can buy a large reel, or get custom panels made up – either way, make sure you use good quality UV resistant zip ties. You can buy material with varying opacity depending on how much of your surroundings you want to block out.
Ball machines are the must-have accessory for court owners. There are always going to be times when there’s nobody to play with, but fear not! A quick flick of a switch and you have the ultimate tennis partner who never gets annoyed, has infinite patience and places the ball wherever you want. A ball machine can really supercharge your tennis development, as well as being a great workout. What’s not to love? The Lobster Sports Elite Two is a very popular and versatile machine on court, and easy to transport off court. It has a battery pack, so you don’t need any extension cords. If you really want to exercise your credit card, then check out the Playmate brand – very expensive, but beautifully made and used by lots of clubs who value their exceptional durability and functionality.
A speed gun is a great bit of kit – fun to use, and an accurate way to track serve progress – the numbers don’t lie! Kids love fast serve competitions, and everybody who plays on your court will want to find out if they can serve as hard as a pro.
Bring any tennis session alive with the sound of music – or keep up with live commentary of your favorite sports team. A decent sound system really brings an element of fun, and makes it much more likely that kids will hang out. The perfect solution would be permanently installed outdoor speakers, but a good quality boombox is the next best thing. The JBL Boombox 3 has plenty of power, good quality sound, and is water resistant.
Whenever you get a group of people on a tennis court, you’ll need drinks – and somewhere to keep them cool. Enter your new best friend, a cooler on wheels. Coolers are also great for keeping food safe during the heat of summer
Watching a video of yourself playing is a fantastic, if sometimes unsettling, way of analyzing your game. A video lets you see what you’re actually doing, and if you contrast and compare to some of the excellent youtube videos of slow motion strokes by pros, you can supercharge your tennis development. The magnetic option is great if you have steel net posts and netting supports, whereas the tripod allows you to position the camera anywhere on court.
A Final Note
If you’re planning to build a court, or renovating an existing one, make sure you run electric power. A single outlet is great, but its far better to run a thicker cable that terminates at a breaker box. You can then connect multiple outlets around the court and have the extra capacity to add features like lighting in the future. A water supply is also desirable, and you’ll get much better pressure and volume from a dedicated supply pipe then you will messing about with long hoses. Just make sure the setup can be drained or blown out in fall if you live in an area with frosts.
Talking renovations, its amazing how much difference a new paint job can make to a court. New paint will make for a much better surface to play on, its easier to clean and can be applied in conjunction with specialist crack filler to give that perfect finish. An uninspiring asphalt surface can be transformed into something that looks like its straight out of a grand slam tournament. The only dilemma may be deciding on which colour scheme to go for!
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