What kind of grass wimbledon

Dandelions and daisies would sometimes pop up, fairy rings occasionally bloomed, and the constant wear from players skipping across the grass meant it had to be replaced often. In , when the club moved to its current location just a few miles down the road, groundskeepers brought in strips of turf from a seaside town miles to the north to cloak its new courts.

But no one wanted to haul tons of turf hundreds of miles each year, so the team started its own turf nurseries, havens for the perfect green grass. By the midth century, agricultural sciences were booming, and the sports world benefited. Researchers around the world were looking carefully at how to breed and manage grasses to make them more nutritious for grazing animals; more resistant to pests; faster growing; ever greener; and more perfect for lawns and fodder.

They tested pesticides to kill worms and herbicides to kill the daisies, new soil mixes to change the firmness of the ground which affects how high the ball bounces , and fertilizers to make the grass grow faster, greener, more predictably. A test-run of fireworks at Maracana Stadium lights up the sky before the Games in Rio de Janeiro.

But the key work started when they realized they could pick and choose the grass itself. The team built a machine—essentially a fake foot, complete with tennis shoe—that would stomp and slide and smear across the grass. Every day during the tournament, groundskeepers test the court hardness, the soil moisture, the blade color, and how tightly packed together the plant are.

They also phone their on-call meteorologists to check on weather patterns that may sweep through in the next minutes or hours and change the slightest variable. The ball bounces lower on grass courts than on clay or hardcourts used in every other major tennis tournament, so players have to respond quicker and stoop lower to return balls.

Any unpredictability in the way the ball bounces makes the game more challenging. So, while players train for years to hit on the Wimbledon stage, a vast science machine churns around them, quietly working to make sure that the grass on these stories courts stays firm, smooth, and consistent from day to day and court to court. All rights reserved. Turf Wars By the midth century, agricultural sciences were booming, and the sports world benefited.

Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Go to the new dw. More info OK. Wrong language? Change it here DW. COM has chosen English as your language setting. COM in 30 languages. Deutsche Welle. Audiotrainer Deutschtrainer Die Bienenretter. From its origins to its nature, to the elements required to play on it, here are the answers to 10 questions you may have about grass-court tennis.

Grass-court tennis, as the title suggests, is tennis played on natural grass. Originally known as lawn tennis, the grass-court season is professional moderne era is highlighted by Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, which was first played in Historians believe the sport first came into use, on grass, in the 18th century, played by nobility on their lawns. Just one, Wimbledon.

However, historically, grass courts dominated the tennis Tours with three of the four Grand Slam events played on grass until the s. The US Open was played on grass until , when it switched to clay, for three years, before settling on hard courts from onwards. The Australian Open was played on grass until , when the event switched to hard courts and a new venue.

Grass is a living surface and as such, plays differently to other, harder surfaces. Also rich in nitrogen, it makes your existing grass an envy-inducing emerald green, whilst also protecting your lawn against drought. We have multiple mixes that will give you that world class Wimbledon look! Neil Stubley, Head of Courts and Horticulture at Wimbledon has said that for domestic use a blend of chewings fescue, strong and slender creeping red fescue and browntop will also work well.

Funnily enough, we have those mixes too! Players at Wimbledon may be well used to an 8mm lawn, but for us at home it may be a little bit too short! For an ornamental lawn, the ideal mowing height is mm, this helps to protect the lawn from drought during the warmer months, as the longer blades retain the water. The courts at Wimbledon are mown three times a week , but we suggest that you mow the grass when it reaches around 30mm, to maintain the 25mm and give it adequate time to grow again.