Grass Courts

The Grounds

The Grounds are owned by the All England Lawn Tennis Ground plc, and the total area, including the Club's car parks, covers more than 42 acres with capacity for up to 42,000 spectators.

• Head of courts and horticulture: Neil Stubley.
• 15 permanent ground staff. Total of 28 for the period of The Championships.
• 18 Championships grass courts.
• 20 grass practice courts.
• 8 American clay courts.

Apart from the grass courts, the courts are used all year round by the Club Members and LTA-sponsored players. The grass courts are in play from May to September (except Centre Court and other Show Courts which are used only for The Championships). The courts are lent to a number of clubs and organisations, mainly of a national character, for the staging of various events.

The grass

The grass plant itself has to survive in this dry soil. Expert research has again shown that a cut height of 8mm (since 1995) is the optimum for present day play and survival.

Courts are sown with 100 per cent perennial ryegrass (since 2001) to improve durability and strengthen the sward to withstand better the increasing wear of the modern game. 

Independent expert research from the Sports Turf Research Institute in Yorkshire, UK, proved that changing the grass seed mix to 100 per cent perennial ryegrass (previously 70 per cent rye/30 per cent creeping red fescue) would be the best way to combat wear and enhance court presentation and performance without affecting the perceived speed of the court.

Perceived speed of a court is affected by a number of factors such as the general compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather before and during the event.

The ball will seem heavier and slower on a cold damp day and conversely lighter and faster on a warm dry day.

The amount a ball bounces is largely determined by the soil, not the grass.

The soil must be hard and dry to allow 13 days of play without damage to the court sub-surface.

To achieve the required surface of even consistency and hardness, the courts are rolled and covered to keep them dry and firm. Regular measurements are taken to monitor this. 

There have been no changes to the specification of the ball since 1995, when there was a very minimal alteration in compression.

The lines 

Total area of grass on each of Centre and No.1 Courts is 41m x 22m.

Singles court is length 23.77m (78’) x width 8.23m (27’).

Doubles court is length 23.77m (78’) x width 10.97m (36’).

Paint is not used to mark the lines on the court. A transfer wheel marker is used to apply a white compound (500 gallons used yearly) containing titanium dioxide to make it durable.

All the lines are 50mm wide, except the baselines, which are 100mm.

Court maintenance

Nine tonnes of grass seed is used each year.

All courts are re-lined, rolled and mown daily during The Championships.

Court wear, surface hardness and ball rebound are all measured daily.

All courts are renovated in September.

How to grow a grass court

It takes around 15 months to prepare a Championships’ standard court before it can be played on. 

This process is as follows:

Before The Championships

• Courts are constructed and seeded in April. The courts will then be cut once the new grass reaches 15mm, and then cut three times a week in May to keep at 15mm.
• The height of cut will be reduced from the winter height of 13mm to the playing height of 8mm. This starts in March and will be ready for Members’ day in May.
• In early May the white line markings are put on the courts.
• During the playing season the grass is cut every other day.
• The courts get rolled once a week in May with a one-tonne roller to firm the surface so that it is ready to play on.
• In June, the amount of water put on the courts is restricted, which also helps firm the surface.

During The Championships

• The height of the grass will be cut to 8mm
• The courts are cut and marked out every day.
• A little bit of water is put on the courts at night to help the grass survive .

After The Championships

• For the remainder of the summer, the courts will only be cut three times a week and watered as they need to mature and naturally firm up.
• At the end of summer, six tonnes of soil will be put on each court to make sure the playing surfaces are level.