Asphalt, Hardscape, and Sports Court Construction

Most court surfaces for outdoor sporting surfaces or running tracks are built by using asphalt. It's covered in acrylic, which is usually designed to last for a long time.

The courts made of clay at the French Open might get all the attention; however, two things must be understood about the highly praised courts for the tennis Grand Slam: They are not made of the same type of clay that gardeners love and despise (they're composed out of stone or shale crushed as well as brick). Furthermore, some Grand Slam courts are made from other substances.

To be precise, the reigning queens and kings in tennis have all different preferences in regard to the kind of court they would prefer: clay (Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray), grass (Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Johanna Konta), and hard court (Novak Djokovic).

However, the tennis courts that the majority of amateurs use are made up of asphalt-based hard courts, approximately 95% of them. They might not appear like the black asphalt that we put on roads and driveways, but they must be constructed using different techniques. However, the area that is the most noticeable and can affect the play is usually covered by an acrylic layer, often coated with green or blue pigment. While viewed as a bit sloppy, the courts are utilized at tournaments like the US Open (Forest Hills, NY) and the Australian Open (Melbourne). The court on the hard surface is more efficient than, for instance, grass (Wimbledon makes use of perennial ryegrass). This is due to the fact that grass absorbs the majority of the energy that the ball expends.

However, when it comes to the construction of tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts, and running tracks, they all have an asphalt underlayment. Each construction project is required to meet the requirements that the sports require, not only in terms of dimensions but also with regard to factors that affect the performance of athletes. Additionally, since many such facilities are managed by parks departments as well as the public school system, they must function with as few maintenance costs as feasible.

This is not a product that the typical asphalt paving business offers. The construction of a sports court is a niche service that only a handful of asphalt installers are able to provide. If you are looking for a contractor to design and construct a sports court, choose one that has an established track record of success.

In all instances, it is the additional cost of the acrylic coating over asphalt creates an obligation on contractors to ensure exact planarity (the plane that is needed by sports and also to ensure rain flow) as well as smoothness. It is usually done using two layers of asphalt. The second one corrects the shortcomings of the first aggregate (decomposed granite) base. A base of rock or clay beneath that is preferred. If a contractor needs to cut through the organic (softer) soil for the construction of tennis courts, such soil must be compacted prior to installation, lest there be any settlement in the court after one or two years after the construction.

There are specific guidelines regarding how to construct a tennis court, track, and basketball courts that are provided by the American Sports Builders Association. The association closely monitors the development of accurate and current technical data to achieve the highest standards in design and construction as well as the maintenance of sports facilities.

Indeed, it is true that the Williams sisters do have their own preferences regarding the type of court they want to play on. However, the consistent quality of courts guarantees that all the future players of tennis, basketball, and track are gaining ability on well-constructed courts.