Can someone please tell me what the difference is in surface between the Aus and US Open? I've heard the name Rebound Ace used but is this a hard court surface or different?


Cheers for any info. :)

Here is just an articule from the bbc, it is mainly used in AO. As the temperature get hotter it gets sticky. It meant to be a hard court made from the usual materials and composites.

From wikipedia
Used at the Australian Open, Rebound Ace is a cushioned tennis hardcourt comprised of layers of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt base. It is manufactured by Rebound Ace® Sports Surfaces (a division of AV Syntec Pty Ltd), based in Brisbane, Australia. Many tennis players argue that it gets very sticky with high temperatures, increasing the chances of injuries.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/aus...pen/1765862.stm

The name 'Rebound Ace' has no bearing on how the courts play. It is simply the name of the (Australian) company that produces them, in the same way that sellotape is the name of the company that produces the product and has become synonymous with the product.


Some of the reasons why they are used are as follows:

- They are cushioned surfaces, designed to reduce wear and tear on players' bodies;

- The bounce on the courts are generally described as slow to medium, but certainly faster than clay courts. A selling point of the courts is that the bounce is generally very 'true', and the grip of the courts is also believed to be very good, making them conducive to top spin/ slice.

- The courts are also generally meant to be extremely durable, being both weatherproof and ultraviolet resistant.


The accusation that the courts get sticky in high temperatures has come up a few times. The manufacturers have tested the surface to high temperatures (70 degrees c) and refute these claims. Some argue that any injuries that might occur could be due to the timing of the tournament, when most players (mainly from the northern hemisphere) have taken their winter break and may simply be more susceptible to injury due to their games not being to their ususal level.

There has also been a theory that when the courts get hot, there is even more 'give' on the surface, and may give rise to a higher risk of ankle injury.

There are also 5 types of Rebound Ace surface, where the composite varies in each instance. Apparently the speed of the court is affected by the inclusion of sand in the acrylic surface (at least I think this is right!) and the height of the bounce is impacted by the stiffness of the acrylic surface.. apparently.. :blush:

The Australian Open organisers come under the same level of scrutiny as Wimbledon does in terms of preparation of the courts. Whilst SW19 organisers have changed the grass courts, by shortening the grass, no longer using chalk for the lines etc, the AO organisers have claimed that they have made the courts faster in recent years by changing the compsite structure.

Is anyone having problems editing thier post?

The occasional person has mentioned problems with posting over the last week or so, but usually it's usually specific to the individual, whether their pc, or connection, or just a quirk of the web, I don't know. But, no, I'm having no problems, but did briefly a few days ago.

I don't know of any problem, unless you are trying to edit something you wrote some time ago. The board allows members to edit their own post for something like 15 minutes after it is posted. The intent is that you can correct an error or add something you meant to include, but not go back later and "rewrite history."

Hi yorkshire, petalp & Nick :)

Here a very interesting article about the evolution of the American hard surface with explicit comments by the players themselves, i.e. what matters more ;)

EVOLUTION-OF-US-HARD

I am currently reading the comments of petalp as usual very interesting B)

I am not a "great" specialist of the evolution of the surfaces: I simply read a lot of articles and interviews with players. Some of them they were pointing out as all surfaces where slower now than in the past and they were very happy with this evolution, other just saying the contrary

Once again: It depends which is plyer's preferred style (OK it is obvious that I should not say that but anyway :doh: ), a serve & volley like Ancic should be quite frustrated and aggressive baseline with huge all around the court game as FED quite happy (given the results in the last three years sure he is happy the man :P )

And these are (i.e. players feelings about surfaces) the most important aspects that we should always keep in mind once we decide to discuss about current Tennis. :D

Ciao

Fabulous post petalp,left in no doubt about the Rebound Ace now. :)

Rebound Ace is a surface that is neutral, ie, both defensive and aggressive players have equal chance on it, unlike Roland Garros which suits defensive players, grass which suits aggressive players, and U.S Open, which also suits aggressive players. Here in Autralia it is one of our most common surfaces, and it does take a bit of getting used to. The reason Martina does so well on it is because it is fast enough for her to be able to consistently move her opponents around court, yet slow enough for her to retrieve.

Thanks Brakkus, much appreciated! :hug:

By way of a post-script, I received the latest edition of Ace Tennis Magazine through the post today, which featured something pretty topical to this thread!!

There is a snippet in it that mentions that all of the match and practice courts at Melbourne Park (incl Rod Laver Arena) are due to be resurfaced this month. This resurfacing will make the courts faster. I wonder how much faster these will be??

And hawkeye will be used at the AO for the first time, too.