Feature Presentation

Several of you have written us questions about court surfaces -- so we asked an expert who works on tennis courts every day. No, he's not a club pro -- he's a tennis court builder. We spoke to John Saviano, president of Saviano Company Inc., one of the largest builder of tennis courts in California. You may be surprised how high tech this field has become. Believe it or not they even use lasers in their work!

If the name "Saviano" linked to tennis sounds familiar to you - yes, John is USTA Technical Director Nick Saviano's brother. We thank Nick for his assistance as well. We'd also like to thank Cislunar's civil engineer, Laura Peters, who helped us with this material and Eric Chattot who handled the photography.

The Saviano Company has been constructing tennis courts since 1963. John began playing tennis at the age of 12, was ranked 1st on his college tennis team and even played on the ATP Tour for a short time. John holds a degree in economics and began working in the family-owned business after he graduated college.

As a large supplier of tennis courts in California we asked John, "How many courts do you construct each year?" Good News! John said the company is building more and more courts every year! How many? "We build about 50-70 new courts, resurface 250-300, and handle about 50-100 overlays each year." (An overlay is a material used to repair courts with severe damage, like cracks.)

Although their business is centered in California and Oregon, John told us he's been asked to build tennis courts as far away as Russia, China and Saudi Arabia! Where's the most unusual place they've constructed a court? "We were asked to build a court off the side of a cliff!" (This gives a whole new meaning to the word "Out!", doesn't it.)

So -- how do you construct a tennis court? How far down do you dig? What's under the court? What kinds of materials are used to build a tennis court? Why do you pick one court material over another? How do you know which type of tennis court is best for you?

"Different factors are considered in determining the "right" tennis court: its usage, the soil, court location, availability of materials and the climate where you live."

"The major outdoor surfaces are made of asphalt, concrete, clay (green and red), and grass. The asphalt and concrete courts are referred to as "hard courts". (Concrete is gravel, pebbles, or other stones, mixed in a mortar or cement. Asphalt is made of "hydrocarbons" like coal or petroleum. Like other hydrocarbons, asphalt contains oil.)

"If you've played on clay courts before you know they allow you to slide over them. Their soft surface prevents the pounding action on the hips and knees experienced with hard courts. The clay surfaces may increase your longevity in the game by reducing those types of injuries. Clay courts are also slower than most other types of court surfaces. That means you have more time to react to the ball and your opponent on these courts." John told us that red clay is generally slower than green clay and when it rains clay courts become even slower.

"Material availability and court care is another consideration. The clay we use has to be ordered from the east coast - that increases the overall cost of the court. To prevent clay courts from acting like dust, they have to be watered, rolled (compacted) and broom cleaned regularly. If not maintained properly, you can slide and actually rip or create deep divots in the surface making the court unplayable. In very dry climates like Arizona and southern California, a clay court that has to be watered all the time is not very practical. On the east coast where the climate is humid and it rains throughout the year, a clay court is practical since the court will absorb that moisture.

Structure Inside a Concrete Court

So - how do you make a tennis court? "In general it takes about a week to build a court. First you grade (level) the area. That means that all the top vegetation and about 6 inches of soil comes off with it. This takes about half a day. Then the crew digs 18 inches below the surface. They water and compact the soil. It takes about 4-5 people to handle this phase of the construction."

Making a Concrete Tennis Court

John told us that soil preparation is a very critical step in the entire process. "A lot depends on the type of soil we're placing the court over. Preparing the soil under the court properly is essential. What's under the court actually influences the quality and grade of the court above the surface. The soil needs a certain consistency and to be compacted before the base rock can be placed over it. This prevents cracks on the surface in the future." Knowing the right consistency comes with experience and is sort of an "art form", John said. Surprisingly, although some cracks originate from the court surface, John told us that most court cracks actually start from underneath the court and work their way up.

Pouring the Concrete

Two crew members place the redwood border edging and header on the court. The next day, the net posts are set in concrete and 300-400 tons of base rocks are placed on top of the soil. The crew waters and recompacts that surface. Next, they pave the surface with two inches of asphalt. Generally, it takes 5 people 3 days to reach this point.

Smoothing and Leveling the Surface of the Court
Note - Concrete is Partially Set - You Can Walk on the Surface

The court is cured (dries and settles) for about 2 weeks. The court is left uncovered and exposed to the elements: wind, rain, hot or cold temperatures, humidity.

When the crew returns, oils from the asphalt may have risen to the surface and are removed. The court is flooded with water to determine were puddles may form. Those areas of the surface are built up with a liquid asphalt and leveled with a straight edge.

Saviano Company uses large scale freeway construction equipment. They check the grade to make sure the court is smooth and level. A laser is used to determine the slope or grade of the court. A dial on the laser allows the operator to specify the maximum grade (usually 1%). The laser beam cuts across the surface plane allowing the crew to determine where the court needs to be leveled.

Before laser levels, string lines were used to level tennis court. Stakes were placed at the corners of the court and strings were drawn taut. A small level was hung in the middle of the string and the ends were adjusted until the bubble in the level was centered. Measurements from the string line to the ground were taken and areas of cut and fill determined. This process was repeated until a level surface was established. A laser level works by sending out a low power laser beam that is continuously rotated 360 degrees at a constant elevation. A receiver is placed on a rod which is raised or lowered until the laser beam hits it and activates an audible sound. By adjusting the distance from the receiver to the bottom of the rod, the pad elevation can be accurately determined.

Next, the surface material is applied over the entire court. This is the same material used in resurfacing a court. Last, the court is painted with squeegees. Although hard courts are often green, John said that people select from a rainbow of colors - various shades of light and dark green, red, brown, terra-cotta, beige and even blue. "A lot of home owners want their courts to complement the color scheme of their house." Three coats of color are applied. The first two coats are a mixture of fine sand and paint. When the court is finished it must be free of ridges, valleys, and tool marks.

How do you know when its time to resurface a court? "A court - even at a club - will last 20 years. But there's obvious signs, such as cracks or wearing through the surface at the baseline so that the paint is worn off. A hard court will get faster with age - the materials actually get finer and finer. "For a long time it was recommended that 1/4 inch asphalt pieces be used, we went to stronger 1/2 inch pieces."

"To repair a cracked surface court we use an overlay such as "Petromat ", then we add asphalt on top of the overlay. Because the new surface is over the old surface, we need to raise the net posts and center tie down. Then we power wash the surface and complete the process in a similar fashion to a new court construction.

Sealing Cracks in an Older Surface

Smoothing the Top Surface of a Court

The material type and color both affect how much heat the court will absorb and how much light the surface will reflect. Asphalt absorbs the most heat and light, while the court lines, typically lighter in color, will reflect the most light. "You see a lot of cracks around court lines", John told us. "While the darker court surface absorbs light and heat, the light colored lines reflect it and stays cooler. That temperature difference seems to contribute to crack creation."

Installing a clay court is very similar, but a 6" ridge of concrete is molded around the courts perimeter. Drainage is an important issue for grass and clay courts. The rocks under a clay court are different than those under a hard court. These rocks are "permeable" - substances like water will be absorbed into the rocks. About 60% of the water drains off the surface and 40% is absorbed. In a way these rocks serve the same purpose as the tiny capsules you sometimes find in plant potting soil. When the plant soil dries these tiny capsules release the water contained in them and wet the soil - so the soil stays moist longer. The rocks serve a similar purpose. Forty tons of clay material compacted to a 1" thickness forms the court surface.

Do tennis rules affect how you make the courts? "The size of the court and position of lines and net are all refined by the regulations. Additionally, different groups stipulate specific requirements. For example, for a tournament court, like the US Open, the USTA has specific standards that have to be met and adhered to like tolerances on court slope. These standards make the court much more difficult and expensive to build."

We asked John, how the court construction business had changed over the years? John told us that the building equipment and the materials had changed the most - not the construction techniques. "Fifteen years ago, it took 10 hours to pave one court, now we can pave 10 courts in that time. In the "old days" we used strings to determine the court grade - now we use lasers. The equipment that we use in court construction is the same heavy machinery used in highway construction."

"There's also been a big change in the paint materials - the quality is much higher, the paints hold their color and last longer. The materials used in the construction are more consistent and uniform. Overlay material like "Petromat" has made repair work easier."

Finally we asked, "What's your advise on maintenance and extending the life of a tennis court?" "Asphalt courts should be kept as clean as possible. Think about how dirt and grit affect a surface. The debris acts like sand paper against the court and wears it away. For clay courts, watering and rolling them is essential and will prevent them from becoming a fine dry dust." But John stressed an important point: more than any maintenance technique used after the court is built, the life of the court is dependent on the care and experience used in its original construction.

We want to thank John Saviano and the staff at Saviano Company for taking the time to help us with this feature article.