Breaking New Ground: The Evolution of Har-Tru

How did the world’s most well-known clay court company come to sponsor one of the largest U.S. Open Series tournaments? A 90-year journey has taken Har-Tru from old-school beginnings to the modern world of tennis.

Henry Alexander Robinson built the first Har-Tru court in 1931. He had discovered a granular crushed stone he thought would make a great tennis court surface. He was right. His wife named the company by combining Robinson’s initials (HAR) with the court’s true (TRU) green color and bounce.

The brand emerged as a leading player in the tennis industry. From the 1940s onward, Har-Tru courts became a staple in clubs and private homes throughout the U.S. The tennis boom of the early 1970s led to an explosion in demand for Har-Tru courts, propelling the brand to global recognition.

Beginning in the late 1980s, a flurry of product development helped grow the company – and by extension, the sport of tennis. The HydroCourt underground watering system was a technological breakthrough that significantly reduced maintenance and