David's Best Tips:

• Planning permission may not be required for building a grass court in your back yard.
• Allthough the stipulated area for a tennis court is 120 feet by 60 feet, 110 by 55 is adequate for most people and can shave thousands off the cost.
• Putting fencing only around the backs of the court saves money and is visually less intrusive.
• Cutting the corners off at 45 degrees doesn't effect play but instead is visually more pleasing and it also trickles the balls to the centre of the court behind the baseline.

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There was a rule at my tennis club that after playing you were to unwind the net and let it down, and then they would hook the bottom of the net so that it wouldn't drag on the ground. And there was a player called George and he would go round and tell people that it was pointless taking the slack off the net because that was only done on grass courts where if you didn't do that then the posts would effectually start to point inwards. I mean I think that it was a good idea to hold the nets up because the wind will eventually wear the nets out, but as far as letting the nets down, I do see his point, that it is probably from a traditional point of view.

Yeah. It's actually a follow through because... in other words you had to do it on the grass, or the big staples that held down the posts would lift up, so it was very necessary to do it, in other words that meant that the posts toed in. Cause they always came up from as you would say the back of the post area. They would lift inwards if you... so you released it to make sure that it lasted longer. They still toed in a bit but they lasted longer if you let the net down, and it is a follow on... although that it isn't impossible on tarmac for the post to lean inwards if people don't. So if you get a very, very hot summer (and) you leave the nets up you are likely to get a bit of movement. I've seen... they nearly always bed them in in a little bit of concrete... and I've seen the concrete come up. Come up to the courts surface level, because they put the tarmac over the top of the concreted-in post. But they toe in so much that the far edges of the concrete can pull up and be seen.

Right, ok.

So these are extreme situations but it does happen. So he was slightly wrong... in fact he was right, but he was wrong to say that you don't have to do it. Ok? You certainly need to do it at certain times of the year.

When the weather's hot enough...

he made his point. He had a bee in his bonnet, didn't he?

He's probably just lazy.

Yes, I think I know the fellow that you mean in actual fact, 'cause I think they had a lady at that club that used to go round telling everybody that they were foot faulting.

Yeah, that's right.

...and she had a bee in her bonnet as well. And she had a bee in her bonnet as well, 'cause when she served she always foot faulted. But she still chose to be the spokesperson for foot faulting. The same as your George was the spokesman for not winding the net down and yet the committee had said that everybody had to. He was a bit naughty really. A bit of a rebel. He was too old to a rebel wasn't he?

Yeah, probably.

Well... but did the committee just do it for tradition? What was the reason? Because you had to do it on grass courts. Perhaps they didn't realise that it didn't happen as much on a hard surface. I don't know.

So there's a couple of tips for people. They used bungie cords to keep the bottom of the nets from dragging. And then taking most of the slack off the wire to avoid creep.

Yeah, some use bits of tape sort of thing. You know a couple of feet long, and they put it on and tie it in a bow, sort of thing, or use a reef knot on it. But that is definitely a good thing to do. To let the net down and to keep the net up from the ground, because the wind sweeps it backwards and forewords if not and it wears the bottom away, it frays it. And that's pointless to do that. And everybody when they leave the court should be carrying out these little things you see. So nowadays they use a plastic guard right the way... like the net band itself which is usually white and doubles over. So they double a bit of black and the way along the bottom of the net. That helps keep it better, but still the best thing to do is to tie it up. That's hanging it properly when it's not in use. Of course a net should be... every player should know how to hang a net as well. Because you'd be amazed at how complicated it can be. You know to get a net hung properly... the nets at Wimbledon are beautifully hung. Beautifully. The grounds men take great pride in hanging the nets properly.

And they do it before each match on centre court don't they?

Yeah.

Or perhaps at the start of each day?

No, they'll even do it during the match... they're unobtrusive shall we say. Th6 June, 2008ssary just adjust it a little bit. You know at Wimbledon they use like a doubles net and side sticks and things like this. The centre court, they put up a singles net and they don't use net sticks they use different lengths of nets.

That's right. And the net posts are made from some exotic wood, I know what kind of wood it is, maybe ash or something?

They are the most expensive net posts you can buy. And they're beautifully... the brass the tops and what not are absolutely lovely. Of course they have brand new ones every year. Each championships have a new set.

I wonder what they do with the old ones?

Well... I'm not quite certain of that, but I would think that they are just moved down onto other courts. So how can I put it? The club members would have to put up with net posts that are sort of two weeks old, which is no real hardship is it?

No.

So every year everything is changed... wonderful... wonderful.

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