Home Court
Tennis stands out as a sport with no home or away teams. It is every man out for himself, travelling the globe to face opponents in a variety of unique venues.
While players may have the advantage of a supportive home crowd, the court dimensions remain unchanged: 23.77m in length and 8.23m wide.
Throughout their careers, players develop deep connections with the courts they compete on across the ATP Tour, which spans five continents. Players like Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas are drawn to the electric atmosphere or the scenic beauty of certain stadiums, while Ben Shelton and Grigor Dimitrov treasure memories of past victories.
We spoke with six players to discover which court feels like more than a playing surface, but rather an emotional home, a place where they feel most in sync with their game.
Ben Shelton
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one, but I loved Queen’s, the ATP 500 in London. That was one of the coolest centre courts I’ve played on. I really liked the stadium court in Tokyo as well. I think those are two very different atmospheres in stadiums. One, I like the surface and two, I think the fans really get into it.
"Winning my first title there was pretty cool, so that’s always going to be a special court for me. It’s just a nice aesthetic looking setup [in Tokyo]."
Shelton at The Queen's Club. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Shelton at The Queen's Club. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. Credit: Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.
Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo. Credit: Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships.
Shelton at the 2023 US Open. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Shelton at the 2023 US Open. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
What is your favourite court at a major?
"My favourite Slam court has got to be Arthur Ashe. For me, there is nothing else that compares. It’s the greatest stadium in tennis.
What are your memories of walking out onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for first time?
"Walking out — chills for sure. Seeing that, ‘Pressure is a privilege’ sign was a pretty cool moment for me. I had practised on the court a few times and walked out when the stadium was empty but walking out and seeing all those people — a little bit overwhelming."
Shelton faces Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Shelton faces Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz at Manolo Santana Stadium. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz at Manolo Santana Stadium. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"Tricky question. I'm going to say the Mutua Madrid Open. I mean, it's Spain! And it's special for me to be able to play on a court named after Manolo Santana, a pioneer of tennis in our country. I'd also say the centre court at Indian Wells. I've experienced so much playing there. Plus, it's a very beautiful court, and you always play spectacularly. And I really like the one in Miami. Playing on a court inside an NFL stadium is unique."
The Mutua Madrid Open is an ATP Masters 1000 event in Spain. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
The Mutua Madrid Open is an ATP Masters 1000 event in Spain. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
What is your favourite court at a major?
"It's hard to pick just one. I think Arthur Ashe Stadium. It's the biggest court in the world, and the energy there is incredible. I'd also say Centre Court at Wimbledon, it could also be my favourite court. It's incredible to play there, and it's very special for me because of so many memories. It's hard for me to choose between those two."
Carlos Alcaraz at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Ruud at Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Casper Ruud at Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Casper Ruud
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"I think I will say Pietrangeli court in Rome. It’s the one with all the statues around. On clay, my favourite surface. It’s just really beautiful, all cut out in marble and statues all around. The atmosphere down there is crazy, playing in front of Italian fans is fantastic. I really, really enjoy it."
Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli in Rome. Credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
Stadio Nicola Pietrangeli in Rome. Credit: Alex Pantling/Getty Images
What is your favourite court at a major?
"I’m not the biggest grass-court specialist, but I played on Court No.1 at Wimbledon [in 2023], which to me was fantastic. It was so pretty and well done, kind of refurbished I think. It looked great. It was a fantastic atmosphere in there. Playing one of the first matches of the tournament there was really, really fun. Maybe very different from a heavy clay court in Rome to a fast, slick grass court, but it was a really fun experience."
Ruud competes on Court No. 1 at Wimbledon. Credit: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
Court No. 1 at Wimbledon. Credit: Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images
Hubert Hurkacz. Credit: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
Hubert Hurkacz. Credit: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
Hubert Hurkacz
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"I would say it’s really special in Miami and Shanghai, I have special memories from those events, those courts.
"Miami is kind of interesting. Definitely it’s a big stadium, but comparing to a football stadium, which is so, so huge, so massive, it’s still an interesting setup. But it’s always the people that make the courts special. The amount of people that are coming and cheering for the players, that’s what makes the court really special.
"[In Shanghai], the roof — it’s so beautiful, like something that really hasn’t been done before. The way it opens up, the way it closes. It’s a really special atmosphere on the court, being there playing, I definitely enjoy it.
"They really cheer, they really want to see their idols outside and they are always supporting, staying and waiting longer than average. They are patient, waiting for a couple of hours in front of the hotel just to get a picture. Really special. It means a lot for them just to take a picture, but it’s really special for the players to get that kind of support."
Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai. Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images
Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai. Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images
What is your favourite court at a major?
"I would say Wimbledon Centre Court. The atmosphere there is just something else, especially when I had the chance to play against Roger out there. The noise, the roar of the crowd was just something that I’ll never forget. It’s grass, my favourite surface. The whole atmosphere surrounding Wimbledon and Centre Court.
"Also I would say, I think a really cool court is at Roland Garros, the Court Simonne-Mathieu, the new stadium that they built a couple of years ago. They built kind of in a botanical garden. It’s a great court and the fans are fantastic there. I played a couple matches there, I think I won most of them so good memories from that court."
Hurkacz at Court Simonne-Mathieu, 2022. Credit: Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images
Hurkacz at Court Simonne-Mathieu, 2022. Credit: Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images
Dimitrov en route to his 2024 Brisbane title run. Credit: Patrick Hamilton/AFP via Getty Images
Dimitrov en route to his 2024 Brisbane title run. Credit: Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Grigor Dimitrov
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"There’s a bunch of them to be honest. Indian Wells is a lot of fun to play on, I don’t mind the surface there. Monte-Carlo is pretty stunning. Brisbane, of course I’m going to focus on that [after winning the title in 2024]. I think all the big events, we have an amazing courts but I’ll go with these ones first."
Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Credit: ATP Tour
Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Credit: ATP Tour
What is your favourite court at a major?
"Wimbledon has been probably one of my absolute holy grail centre courts. There was actually one year I remember I played on Centre and Court No. 1, so that was a pretty spectacular year.
"Also, in Australia, getting to the semis one of the first years, playing Rafa in five sets, five hours. That’s also something that stands out there for sure."
Dimitrov at Wimbledon, 2017. Credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Dimitrov at Wimbledon, 2017. Credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images
Tsitsipas in Monte-Carlo. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Stefanos Tsitsipas. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Stefanos Tsitsipas
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"Probably Monte-Carlo in terms of clay courts. I like clay courts and Monte-Carlo has a really nice bounce to it. Monte-Carlo is really nice. You feel a very pristine climate when you’re playing at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
"Some of the people are having lunch and watching the match. You get the Italians and French that come from both sides to watch the tournament, which is nice because they have a great culture in tennis. Everyone is dressed up.
"It’s a few months before the European summer so it does feel relatively warm and you get a nice ocean breeze, sea breeze from the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of views, it’s the nicest tournament in the world, you don’t get views like this in any tennis court."
Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
What is your favourite court at a major?
"I like Melbourne Park. The courts there suit me really well. They are the perfect speed for what I like, which is neither too fast nor too slow. I had great success there. I had a lot of matches played at the Australian Open, some of them where I was able to really zone in pretty well and I felt like the court contributed to that a lot because I was able to feel very connected with the surface, very connected with the ball."
Tsitsipas during the 2023 Australian Open final. Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Tsitsipas during the 2023 Australian Open final. Credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Norrie in Acapulco, 2022. Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Norrie in Acapulco, 2022. Credit: Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Cameron Norrie
What is your favourite court at an ATP event?
"My favourite court is Acapulco. I love the atmosphere the Mexicans bring, they love their tennis. They make the whole tournament into a party, which I like. And I think the surface suits me well, high bouncing courts. I usually feel good in humid conditions and I love playing near the beach. I like swimming in the morning to get ready for the match."
How tough was it to see Hurricane Otis cause significant damage to the Acapulco site in 2023?
"That was tough, especially for the tournament director and everyone involved. It was a tough one as well because I played deep in Rio [in 2024], so I didn’t actually end up going to the tournament. Even in 2023, I only played Los Cabos [in Mexico]. It’s tough. I love Mexico and I have a good fan base there. I always play well there and I think that’s why I’m a bit biased. That’s why I like the court."
What is your favourite court at a major?
"I think I’m feeling most comfortable in New York, on the hard courts there. But I think most recently, I’m feeling really good at Wimbledon and I love the tournament, so I can’t go against Wimbledon. I like Court No. 1, my favourite court.
"I like the way that court is and where the teams sit. The teams get to sit on the corner, like kind of into the court and they have opposite sides. And on Centre Court, it’s special to walk through and play there but the teams are sat next to each other. I don’t know why, but I think the Court No. 1 always suits me better, I think it’s a bit slower than Centre."
Norrie at Wimbledon, 2022. Credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images
Norrie at Wimbledon, 2022. Credit: Michael Regan/Getty Images
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