Laykold’s US Open courts are 10x more consistent than the accepted industry standard
Why the best tennis courts are measured by pace precision
The US Open is the most consistent hardcourt tournament in professional tennis. The world’s best tennis players hit the ball over 100mph during matches, they must react in a fraction of a second and their timing has to be pinpoint accurate. They play in the zone, with minimal margin for error. And within this rarefied space, the pace and consistency of the court itself is crucial to performance and outcome.
Court pace ratings need to match the accuracy of the game
Traditionally, tennis has accepted a level of pace inconsistency across a venue and even across a single court. Whilst the ITF has a standardized measurement system for court pace rating (CPR) this allows courts to fluctuate within a five-point pace range. For example, an MF4 (medium fast court) must operate within a pace rating of 40-44 points. An F5 (fast court) allows for even more variation, being defined as equal to, or greater than, 45 points. Whilst a standardized system of measurement is crucial to the game (read more on this here), Laykold believes that a five-point pace range is not suitable for the speed and accuracy of elite players.
From a 5-point pace range to 0.5-point pace precision
For the US Open, Laykold has tapped into 30 years of exhaustive R&D and surface testing to develop a formulation database that enables our scientists to perfect how to dial in pace ratings. This allows speed to be tailored to individual tournaments to within 0.5 of a point.
This year, our R&D team analysed the unique conditions and installation requirements at the US Tennis Center and developed bespoke formulations to even better ‘tune’ Laykold for the US Open.
This intensive R&D work will likely make the 2024 US Open courts the most tested in the history of tennis.
Sand is at the heart of surface speed science
To deliver this level of pace precision, the type and blend of sand used in the court surface is critical. The specific angles of the grains and how they interact with the grains around them determine the levels of friction between the ball and the court, rendering them crucial agents of pace.
As Wesley Baum, R&D Chemist and Technical and Field Support Manager for Laykold explains:
“Our proprietary blend of sand goes through gradation analysis to test its sieve curve. The tighter the curve, the lower the chance of deviation to court speed, ensuring consistency of surface pace and speed of play which is a major factor in pinpointing the level of pace accuracy that Laykold courts can now achieve.”
Setting the pace for the court surface industry
Ensuring accuracy across the different courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (43 in total) is an exacting science.
There are 13 practice courts and they’re used by the public across the year, so the pace for those courts is set at medium. However, a medium-fast pace is required for the US Open so those court speeds need to be adapted for the tournament and the exact pace ratings across all of the courts dialled in to within 0.5 of a point. It is a very tailored and meticulous process which has taken years of trial and expertise to optimise.
“Our proprietary blend of sand goes through gradation analysis to test its sieve curve. The tighter the curve, the lower the chance of deviation to court speed, ensuring consistency of surface pace and speed of play”
More consistent courts mean consistently better play
It is logical that a more consistent court serves up consistently better play. As tennis professional, coach and court specialist Luke Burden explains;
“An average first serve in men’s tennis is approximately 115 mph, which gives a returner 0.47 seconds to react. These are intense performance parameters which demand a similar level of accuracy from the playing surface.
By working with the US Open to tighten the pace precision and consistency it is possible to achieve across a single court and from court to court, we are better placed than ever before to meet the exacting requirements of tournament organizers and players.”
Now you can order your court speed to within 0.5 of a point
The benefits of pace precision and consistency are not just helpful to elite players. While the game has been conditioned to accept a certain level of inaccuracy, club and up-and-coming players also deserve as consistent a playing surface as possible to develop their game. Laykold brings this pace consistency to elite venues and to clubs and facilities around the world.
US Open quality and consistency is available globally. Find out more here.