A clay tennis court is a living ecosystem that requires two thousand liters of water daily

A professional clay tennis court is a sophisticated hydraulic system rather than a static surface, demanding roughly 2,000 liters of water daily to maintain its structural integrity. While the surface appears to be dirt, it is actually a 15-20cm deep composition of crushed brick or stone layered over drainage gravel. The iconic red ochre hue of courts like those at Roland Garros—which has used volcanic pozzolana since 1928—comes from iron oxide in the baked bricks.