The fence around a tennis court does real work. It keeps the ball inside the court and protects spectators, property and passers-by. Get it right and it disappears into the background of the game. Get it wrong and it interferes with play or fails to contain the ball. A few things to think through before you build.
1. Who will be using the court?
There are different standards depending on use. A commercial or club court has different fencing recommendations to a private backyard court, and courts built for children are sized differently again. Decide up front whether the court is for domestic, official or commercial use, because it shapes everything that follows.
2. Know the court size
Work out whether you are building for singles or doubles. If you want both, build for doubles, because that court is larger. The standard singles court is 23.77 metres long and 8.23 metres wide; a doubles court is 10.97 metres wide. Courts for older children are commonly around 18 metres by 6.4 metres, and for younger children around 11 metres by 5.5 metres.
Leave extra run-off space beyond those dimensions. Players chase the ball past the lines, so set the fence far enough back that it does not interfere with the game.
3. Chain link or pipe-and-cable?
Court fences are usually either chain link (chainwire) mesh or pipe railings with cables. Pipe-and-cable gives excellent visibility; chainwire is more secure and contains the ball better. Both work well, so it comes down to what matters more for your court.
4. Fence height
If you go with chainwire, plan the height. Court fences commonly run upwards of 3 metres to keep the ball in, and 3000mm to 3600mm mesh is typical for this job. On a tight budget, take the overall court size into account, as you may not need full height on every side.
5. Pipe railings and cables
If you go with pipe-and-cable, the configuration matters. Think about the ratio of pipe to cable; many court fences run a 2:3 pipe-to-cable ratio, others 1:3.
6. Fence posts
Posts are needed for both systems. As a rule the post length should be more than a metre longer than the fence height, because the extra length is set into the ground. You will need a post at each corner and evenly spaced line posts along each run.
7. Fittings
Finally, the fittings must suit the type of fence, and they should face away from the play area so there is nothing to catch a ball or a player.
Tennis court fencing sits at the taller, more specialised end of chainwire work, so it pays to use a crew that builds them regularly. See our tennis court fencing and broader sporting field fencing for how we approach these jobs.