Clay Courts

What makes a Clay Court different?

St. Mary’s is one of the very few real clay court tennis clubs in London, using the same clay as the National Tennis Centre. Once you have played on clay, which is the surface on which Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray learned to play, you will not want to play on anything else.

      
Photographs taken at the Italian Open

A view of the clay courts at St. Mary’s

Why clay courts?

  1. It is the chosen court for major championships and community participation in Europe and South America.
  2. The softer surface is kinder to knees, ankles and feet.
  3. Clay makes the ball come through more slowly, making it easier for beginners and giving more time to experienced players to get into the correct position to hit the ball, thus causing fewer injuries.
  4. Clay encourages mental stamina and improves decision making as rallies are longer.
  5. There are more varieties of shot.
  6. Easy to see when the ball is out – clear line calls.

If you would like to experience our high quality courts, get in touch. You can enjoy a few sets of tennis with our members free of charge and find out much more about the club.