Laykold is delivering non-stop court consistency from Abu Dhabi to Miami
Cross-court and cross-continental consistency set to elevate tennis in 2025.
Starting 1 February with the Abu Dhabi Open and culminating with the close of the Sunshine Swing in Miami on 30 March, Laykold has been trusted and chosen as the court surface for five tennis events as well as the Pickleball Slam in Las Vegas and the Australia Pickleball Open in Melbourne in the opening months of 2025. The addition of tennis’ fifth major in Indian Wells, the Arizona Tennis Classic and the Cap Cana Open in March to Laykold’s existing string of tennis partnerships including the flagship US Open, brings with it, a new level of court consistency to the top of the game.
Grand Slam pace precision across the hardcourt swing
Known for its pace precision and consistency, the key markers of a high-performance tennis court and one of the biggest challenges professional events face, Laykold courts deliver 10 x greater consistency than the accepted industry standard. As the official court surface of the US Open for the last 5 years, Laykold has consistently maintained Flushing Meadows’ court pace to within 0.6 of a point, year on year, court to court. This unrivalled precision is now being exported across events, elevating playing conditions and allowing the players to be the best they can be.
Consistency that is tailored by tournament
This step-up in playing conditions is not the result of a one-size fits all formula. Each stop on the elite tennis circuit has its own requirements and identity which need to be upheld and celebrated. Famed for following the sun, each of hardcourt tennis’ stops, nonetheless, has its own unique climatic conditions to contend with, from extreme heat to atmospheric dust, humidity and air density. To deliver consistent court pace and quality, each surface has to be tailored to the individual tournament.
Abu Dhabi: the challenge and the solution is written in the sand
The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open marks the beginning of Laykold’s hardcourt swing. Presented by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, it is a WTA 500 event which was played for the first time in 2003 in the UAE’s capital. The players come to it because it’s perfectly positioned on the WTA calendar, right before Doha and Dubai which makes up this unique Middle Eastern run of events. It has incredible facilities, a good climate and the players enjoy playing in front of a crowd who love seeing world-class players in action.
In terms of climatic conditions, sand provides both an issue and a solution here. The desert environment means an increase in atmospheric dust which can cause issues on court, especially if the wind picks up and makes it hard to remove sand particles from the court’s surface. But it is also Laykold’s unique type and blend of sand within the court that allows pace ratings to be dialed-in to within 0.5 of a point. The specific angles of the grains in the court and how they interact with the grains around them determine the levels of friction between the ball and the court, rendering them crucial pacemakers. This level of precision allows Laykold to maintain the medium court pace the tournament requires to mitigate the impact of atmospheric sand.
“By controlling the court pace to the exact tournament requirements, Laykold is able to provide a court surface that is balanced with the atmospheric conditions.”
Recreating the Miami Open feel in the Dominican Republic and Arizona
The Cap Cana Open is an ATP Challenger Event held in the Dominican Republic. A competitive tournament in its own right, it also serves as essential preparation for the Miami Open, so ensuring the event has the same feel as Miami is key. The two tournaments share coastal humidity but the Cap Cana Open tends to be windier. Delivering consistency of court pace and therefore better ball control removes one less variable for players.
Similarly, players who are knocked out in Indian Wells will head to the Arizona Tennis Classic to prepare for Miami. As a springboard tournament for future stars, it seeks to recreate the top playing conditions of the Miami Open.
With 40 years of experience as the official court surface of the Miami Open, the R&D and installation know-how to mitigate against atmospheric moisture and the ability to secure an exact pace rating, Laykold is uniquely placed to recreate the Miami court experience in these springboard tournaments.
Las Vegas and Melbourne: a temporary PICKLEBALL surface that plays like it has always been there
The Las Vegas leg of the Pickleball Slam, the MGM Rewards Slam featuring the men’s # 1 and 2 and women’s #1 players, and the professional tour event in Melbourne, while outside the realms of tennis, are a showcase for Laykold’s ability to literally export its Grand Slam quality court surfaces around the world. These indoor events do not have the same climatic challenges of their outdoor tennis cousins, but the speed of installation required, whilst providing a top-class professional court surface that plays like it has always been there, demands the very best court science and installation expertise.
Indian Wells: balancing ball pace through the air with court pace
The BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells marks the first instalment of the Sunshine Swing and is one of the most prestigious events on the ATP and WTA calendars. A self-proclaimed tennis paradise, it has earnt the title of tennis’ fifth major as the Coachella Valley plays host to some of the best players in the world. As well as desert glamour, the Indian Wells Tennis Garden experiences much dryer conditions and the air is thinner. This means the ball pace through the air is much faster than Miami. By controlling the court pace to the exact tournament requirements, Laykold is able to provide a court surface that is balanced with the atmospheric conditions.
“Laykold’s R&D and installation teams customized the product mix and installation method to consistently achieve the desired ball speed and maintain the quality of the event while flexing to the tournament’s changing needs.”
The Miami Open
Since its inception in 1985 the Miami Open has seen four venue changes from Delray Beach to Boca West to Crandon Park, to the world-famous Hard Rock Stadium. Laykold has been there for every one of these reinventions. Now settled at the Hard Rock Stadium, the event still comes with the huge yearly challenge of transforming the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team into a world-class tennis tournament in what is undoubtedly tennis’ biggest ‘pop-up’ event.
Over its 40 year history, Laykold has continually innovated to meet the tournament’s changing needs whilst maintaining the consistency of court pace and quality required by the Fifth Slam.
The move to the Hard Rock Stadium in 2019 came with the challenge of new colors to reflect a new identity, a prescriptive pace rating requirement which changed again in 2023 and the installation of 30 courts over an NFL field, F1 track and surrounding car park. Laykold’s R&D and installation teams customized the product mix and installation method to consistently achieve the desired ball speed and maintain the quality of the event while flexing to the tournament’s changing needs. Court to court, year to year, and now with its recreation at other tournaments, the finale of the Sunshine Swing is a sizzling example of tailored consistency.
An exciting start to 2025 for players and fans
By tailoring courts to match the playing conditions, from pace precision to color consistency, Laykold enables tennis to move seamlessly around the world. From the Middle East to the US to the Caribbean, this cross-country consistency over the coming months will ensure that within and between events, both the player performance and the fan experience is elevated. Buckle in for an unmissable hardcourt swing.
Find out more about Laykold at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open here.
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