OlympicS court Photos

DecoTurf’s multi-layer cushion tennis surface, Deco Turf II, has been selected for use at the world's most prestigious events including the US Open since 1978, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches, and most recently, the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

DecoTurf continues to be the first choice in cushioned tennis surfaces worldwide because it offers outstanding performance and years of durability. These vital characteristics are attributed to DecoTurf’s unique cushioning system. The DecoTurf surface at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is an intricately blended, multi-cushioned system that was strategically formulated to provide the worlds top athletes a tennis surface worthy of their play. Here’s a step-by-step look at what exactly makes up Deco Turf, the cushioned tennis surface of champions…

• In order to provide a uniform and dense underlayment for DecoTurf II, the first step in constructing the court is the application of Acrylic Resurfacer blended with silica sand to the hot mix asphalt surface. The Beijing Olympic courts required one - two coats of this foundational surface.

• DecoTurf II, an acrylic latex coating containing specifically graded, large rubber particles, was applied in three coats to the Beijing Courts. DecoTurf II provides the thick-cushion build up that gives the court its distinct playing characteristics.

• DecoBase II, an acrylic latex coating containing fine rubber aggregates is applied in two coats in Beijing. This coating works in tandem with DecoTurf II - the finer rubber particles fill in the spaces between the larger pieces of rubber coating applied in step 2. Together, both steps create a smooth, reinforced, evenly cushioned surface that is prepped for the texture and finishing steps.

• DecoColor, an acrylic color concentrate, is mixed with sand-filled neutral DecoBase I, and applied in two coats in Beijing. This layer provides a uniform surface texture that determines the speed of play and traction on the court. Special colors were selected for the 2008 Olympics courts – DecoColor in Beijing Blue and Beijing Green.

• One finish coat of  DecoColor  was applied to the Beijing courts. This layer creates a vibrant, durable finish highly resistant to weather and ultra violet degradation.

• DecoColor Textured White Striping Line Paint was used to mark and finish the courts in Beijing.

What does the Tennis Surface of Champions and a shiny Patek Philippe have in common?

Give up? The knockoff versions are VERY poor substitutes…

It is no surprise that fake designer watches, sportswear, and haute couture-like handbags are found all over the world. It is an unfortunate reality that when truly superb goods are created, there is often a cheap counterfeit version lurking right around the corner. Although it is rarer, similar fraud and exploitation also affects the sports surface manufacturing  industry.

The consequences of counterfeiting can be very damaging to the manufactures of quality goods. Obvious negatives include a possible loss in sales for those forced to compete with piracy, and possible damages to the reputation. This later issue is very real for sports coating manufactures. Customers who are deceived into believing that they have installed a genuine surface, when it is in fact an imitation, will blame the manufacturer when the surfaces does not live up to the genuine reputation. In worst cases there is a possibility of injury to the athletes who may play on these imitation surfaces.

Deco Turf has been selected for use at the world's most prestigious events including the US Open since 1978, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches, and most recently, the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It is through an astute system of checks and balances that DecoTurf ensures that their surface is always a genuine DecoTurf surface.

The first step in assuring the authenticity of DecoTurf is through careful inventory control. All DecoTurf products are manufactured only onsite at the California Products Corporation facility in Andover, Massachusetts, USA and sold only to authorized distributors. The next step involves safeguarding the application process. The application of the DecoTurf surface is an art and there are strict guidelines including temperature conditions and weather restrictions that need to be adhered to when applying the surface. DecoTurf partners only with a well-established network of authorized applicators. Each Applicator has been trained to meet strict application guidelines.

The final step in assuring the authenticity of The DecoTurf brand involves the shipping process. DecoTurf products are shipped only directly to the intended site. Although this is often enormously expensive, as DecoTurf is sold internationally, it is an added control measure. Each DecoTurf shipment is always clearly marked and labeled with the special branded labels, available only at the primary shipping location.

Through its commitment to authenticity, DecoTurf continues to offer the best-known tennis court surfaces in the world.

There are a variety of tennis court colors out there. Although there is no absolute rule for what a court color should be, ideally a player will want to have the best possible visibility for his or her game.

When talking about “increasing the visibility of the ball”, we are really talking about contrast. Contrast is the opposition of (in this case) colors. It helps us differentiate objects. There are two ways to create contrast between items. The first is to create contrast using lightness or darkness value. The extreme example of this is the contrast between white and black. The second way to create contrast is using color. In color theory, colors (hues) are arranged in a circular order on the color wheel. Opposite colors on the wheel are called complementary colors. Complementary colors have the most contrast: red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow. Using color theory, we know that the yellow ball will have more contrast with a purple or blue court than the traditional green.

DecoTurf has been a driving force in determining court colors over the past several years. In 2004 officials of the United States Tennis Association  turned to California Products color experts for advice in developing new court colors. After rigorous research and development, DecoTurf created what is now known as  “US Open Blue”. Formulated  to enhance visibility for both tennis fans and professional players, the unique blue and green courts were met with high acclaim in both performance and aesthetics.

The 2004 Olympic Committee in Athens chose DecoTurf, and again an original court color scheme was created. Reminiscent of classic Olympic colors and the Greek  national flag, the Olympic tennis courts  were surfaced with DecoTurf in a unique combination of blues.

This year the 2008 Olympic Tennis matches will once again be played on DecoTurf. In the Olympic spirit of individuality and excellence, the Beijing Organizing Committee for   the c Games of the XXIX Olympiad worked with DecoTurf to create a special combination of Beijing Blue and Beijing Green for  Olympic tennis courts.

DecoTurf continues to be the first choice in cushioned tennis surfaces worldwide because it offers outstanding performance, years of durability, and the ability to create custom court colors for any region. Changing the court color must not change the playing characteristics of the tennis court or the  speed of play. This is why DecoTurf relies upon its chemists and color experts to ensure that aesthetic adjustments never affect the superb DecoTurf  surface performance. 

To view the Deco Court Color please visit: Court Colorizer

Consistency of DecoTurf Tennis Courts

From the punishing inside-baseline form of Agassi, to the powerful, clean serve of Davenport – individual playing styles are varied as the courts the professionals can play on. The game of tennis has been played on everything from garden lawn to modern man-made surfaces. Of all the equipment and structural factors that contribute to the game, it is the court surface that the player must often adapt their game to.

The tennis court surface strongly influences how players move throughout the game, and directly affects how the ball will bounce. When we refer to the “speed of play” we are in fact talking about the bounce of the ball; how quickly the ball comes off the surface and at what angle. The speed of play is very subjective, and professional tennis player opinion varies greatly in regards to preference.

DecoTurf tennis surfaces continue to be the preferred choice of players, coaches and tournament directors because each DecoTurf surface can be fine-tuned to the precise speed of play that is desired. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) has designated five different categories of speed of play or Pace Ratings: (category 1) slow, (2) medium slow, (3) medium, (4) medium fast and (5) fast. DecoTurf’s standard surfacing systems have been classified in three of the five categories and can be further adjusted to meet almost all preferences.  The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games has chosen DecoTurf in (category 3) Medium for the 2008 Olympic games.

As it pertains to DecoTurf surfaces, the speed of play can be partly attributed to the size and type of sand granules used in the uniquely blended DecoColor MP acrylic coating that is applied over the DecoTurf cushioned system. After the desired speed of play is determined, the levels and types of sand used with the DecoColor MP can be adjusted to achieve that speed of play.  This special manufacturing process ensures that each DecoTurf court maintains a consistent speed of play designation and standard of excellence each time a court is surfaced.

DecoTurf tennis surfaces have been selected for use at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, and at the USTA National Tennis Center, site of the US Open since 1978, and most recently, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. These prestigious, world-class sporting events continue to choose DecoTurf tennis surfaces because DecoTurf provides a consistent surface – truly a fair stage for the test of raw tennis talent and competitive skill.