HOW TO PLAY TENNIS ON GRASS The first thing to know about grass courts is that they’re fast – much faster than clay and hard courts. When the ball hits the surface, blades of grass are flattened and the ball skids off the court fast and low. By late summer, when the grass has been worn down, you’ll also find the bounce is very unpredictable.
ARE GRASS COURT GAMES ALL SERVE AND VOLLEY? Big servers have always been successful with the ball flying off the surface. And those who have mixed it up with a solid volley have won many matches. Serve-and-volley play works for a number of reasons:
It keeps the ball off the ground so you avoid unpredictable bounces
Fast serves are made faster because the ball skids off the court You should also develop a good sliced backhand since the ball stays lower to the ground. But it’s not true that only serve-and-volley players prosper – in fact, on the tour there are few serve-and-volleyers left. Baseline players need to think about ending points quickly as well – if your footwork isn’t as fast, it’s important to work on hitting powerful winners and aiming down the line. See our serve-and-volley tips
TIPS FOR PLAYING ON THE GRASS Whether you’re a baseline player or a classic serve-and-volleyer, there are a few things you should be working on.
Work on your arm strength so you can handle the speed of the ball and the off-center hits caused by the bounce
Shorten your backswing so you can react quickly to unpredictable bounces
Aim your drop shots at softer ground so that they don’t bounce as high
Improve at playing low shots by stretching before the game