When you go to clubs of padel, you sometimes find courts with visible sand and others without. Which are the best? We are trying to answer you!

Carpets without sand do not exist

First, let's come back to a point that seems important to us: silica-free terrains do not exist. Indeed, sand is essential to prevent the carpet from peeling and to decrease false rebounds. The tons of sand will do everything stall and to prevent the synthetic turf from moving over time. In addition, it helps prevent moisture from getting stuck in the fibers. This is why we must regularly put sand on the slopes.

If the new generation carpets are called by abuse of language “without sand”, it is because they are in reality without visible sand. The thickness of the fibers and the way they are arranged means that the silica remains trapped at the bottom. We therefore do not see it on the surface.

New Mondo WPT carpet

When the carpet is laid for the first time, it must be cover with a large amount of sand, which eventually descends. But just so you understand, this is what this new generation synthetic turf looks like at the very beginning, like here at Rugby Park 64 before the end of the work:

Mondo carpet WPT Rugby Park 64

New generation carpets that look better

The first advantage of these new generation synthetic lawns, which were developed first for the World Padel Tour, is that they are more pleasant on the screen. The homogeneity of this blue carpet is obviously more aesthetic than a carpet with visible sand.

Agustin Tapia smash in suspension wpt madrid

In addition, this new turf provides a more regular rebound, since there will be no piles of sand on the surface for example. The grip is also superior there, and even if the WPT offers this year faster carpets, they stay slower than the traditional ones. They also take better effects than those with visible sand, which means that if you are the type to spike using the kicker you may be more effective on lawns without visible silica.

Faster older generation carpets

Carpets with a lot of sand on the surface, more level, will make the game faster, since bullets will shoot instead of being damped by the thick carpet. In addition, they will allow fans of tennis on clay to achieve slips. Be careful, however, during net recoveries which can be risky. Old-fashioned carpet is therefore generally appreciated by good level tennis players who like to enjoy a fast game.

In terms of service life, it is considered that older generation carpets are more durable as the news. The fact that they ultimately have more silica (on average three tonnes against two) will reduce their degradation, especially outdoors where humidity is high.

A not always easy choice

The carpet without visible sand, more aesthetic, slower, and with less false rebounds, generally appeals to the players who want to benefit from the last technologies. More expensive, they are also less durable, which causes additional damage to the structure. Today, premium centers do not hesitate to acquire these carpets used on the World Padel Tour for provide the best possible gaming experience to their customers.

2-color field blue carpet

Be careful, however, because some players, used to faster, harder surfaces, complain of muscle pain on new generation lawns. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that they avoid slip-related accidents.

The old-fashioned carpet, with exposed silica, seems the most suitable for outdoor areas and in general it offers a excellent price / lifespan ratio.

It is up to you to take all these elements into consideration when making your decision. If you need any advice, please do not hesitate to contact the land builders partners of Padel Magazine !

 

Xan is a fan of padel. But also rugby! And his posts are just as punchy. Physical trainer of several padel, he unearths atypical posts or deals with topical subjects. It also gives you some tips to develop your physique for the padel. Clearly, he imposes his offensive style as on the field of padel !

On the same subject