May 25, 2015 Charles Louer
Tennis Windscreen Basics
If you are a avid tennis player or even a fan of just watching the game being played by the professionals, you know that windy conditions can destroy much of the enjoyment. When you are playing on a court that does not have a windscreen to break up the wind and let in a consistent flow of air, it can be pretty hard to continue to play. Windscreens do much more than that.
Not only do they cover the fences surrounding a tennis court to cut down wind, they also provide a great backdrop for the court. This backdrop helps cut out distractions that are happening off- court so that the tennis players can focus their complete attention on the game and give their best. If the lighting is bad or the ball is difficult to follow for any other reason, a dark windscreen can rectify this problem by allowing the light colored ball to be seen clearly as well.
Different types of windscreens
Windscreens come in polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene. Vinyl Coated Polyester, is the preferred choice, while polyethylene, is the cheapest. Tennis Windscreens can also be closed mesh or open mesh. Tennis court windscreens come in different sizes too, typically, 6 or 9 foot is standard..
The purpose of vents in tennis windscreens
The air vents that are cut into the windscreens eliminate the risk of wind damage to the fences, by facilitating air flow between the screen and the fence. Air vents are extremely important when there is a 9 foot (or taller) windscreen covering your fence, with a closed-mesh fabric with very little ‘give’. For these windscreens, vents need to be cut starting at 5 feet from the left corner and they should appear every 10 feet all across the windscreen. Bound hemlines surrounding the air vent will keep the fabric from fraying at the edges. It is important to remember that unless the vent is positioned correctly and cut out in the right size, it does not serve its purpose of protecting the fence it covers.
