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New Surface for 2008 Australian Open

The court surface at the 2008 Australian Open will no longer be Rebound Ace, Tennis Australia officials announced in May. Reports indicate that the Aussie Open will use Plexicushion, an acrylic composition manufactured by U.S.-based California Products Corp.

Tournament Director Craig Tiley says the speed of the courts would continue to play in the medium to medium-fast range, and the courts would be firmer and would also have lower heat retention to reduce the chances of the event’s extreme heat policy being invoked. He said the new surface would also have more consistent pace and bounce.

Rebound Ace, which is an Australian product, has been the court surface at the Aussie Open for 20 years. Some in Australia voiced concern that the Australian Open would now become a “second-rate” US Open, since the Plexicushion surface is manufactured by the same parent company that makes the DecoTurf surface used at the US Open.

From the July 2007 issue
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