Indoor vs. Outdoor Tennis: Which is the better court to play on?

Marissa Yang
Fri, 27 Feb 2026 04:22:14 +0000
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Ohio State club tennis members pose for a photo. Credit: Courtesy of Club Tennis Social Team

Hand-eye coordination.?

Adaptability.?

Footwork.?

These are just a few factors that contribute to the physical and mental concentration needed to win in a game of tennis.

Ohio State club tennis members detail the differences of playing on both indoor and outdoor tennis courts throughout the season based on weather conditions.?

For Mark Karev, a fourth-year in industrial engineering and the president of the Ohio State club tennis team, playing on outdoor courts usually allows him to have a better headspace in a game than when playing on indoor courts.?

Indoor courts can feel more isolating, especially when it’s a more confined space with fewer factors that could affect a play, such as wind or sun glare.?

“You don’t really have much to complain about [except for yourself],” Karev said, referring to what it’s like when not playing up to par on indoor courts. “Everything is coming at you unaffected by anything from the outside.”

Kareen Meoko, a second-year in biology and the public relations director for the club tennis team, said outdoor courts come with multiple aspects players must factor into their game, including humidity and temperature.

According to the International Tennis Federation, humidity causes the felt exterior of a tennis ball to absorb water vapor, which adds to its overall weight. Colder weather causes contraction, meaning the tennis ball loses internal pressure to bounce at its full potential.?

“You do have to adjust a lot,” Meoko said. “Adjust how much spin you’re putting on the ball, or be more patient because the rallies can be more unpredictable.”?

As indoor courts are more regulated, playing outdoors means a decrease in ball speed, but with that, an increase in reaction time.

This is when footwork is critical.?

“It gives an edge back to players that have better movement because they’re able to get to the balls with more time,” Karev said.

When indoors, players can hit the ball more flatly, or in other words, without adding spin to the shot, because they’re not working to overpower the wind, according to Meoko.

“[The shots are] more consistent,” Meoko said. “You won’t have to change the way you’re hitting the ball for different shots.”?

Without sun glare when playing indoors, the athletes have better depth reception and can gauge the accuracy of each shot more carefully, according to Karev.?

Because of this, indoor rallies are done more quickly than those played outdoors. Players are able to maximize their strength in the follow-through of their shots without many restrictions.?

Karev said transitioning from indoor practices at the Ty Tucker Tennis Center to the outdoor courts just outside of the Ohio Stadium is always an adjustment for club members during the spring semester.?

“I think that playing outdoors, you almost have to get a little bit more creative,” Karev said.

Regardless of playing on an indoor or outdoor court, tennis athletes must have the utmost stamina to be successful in a match.?

“It’s 100% physical and 100% mental,” Meoko said.