Weatherin the Clay Courts...
Weather actually affects the play on clay tennis courts in a significant way (even if they manage the get the covers on the courts at Roland Garros before too much has soaked into them). For example, rain usually makes the courts play slower because the balls feel heavier as a result of retaining a bit more of the dirt, as well as the court becoming slightly softer and the bounce a bit lower. In contrast, when there hasn’t been rain for
several days or weeks and the courts have only been watered during routine maintenance, many clay courts can start to play much faster because the surface becomes firmer and the balls also often bounce higher. Other surfaces such as outdoor hard courts at the U.S. Open are not impacted by the rain except that they become slippery. The same is true for the grass courts at Wimbledon which are unplayable with the first rain drops… but then again, it NEVER rains in England in late June…
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