Rebound Ace

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Rebound Ace is a cushioned tennis hardcourt comprising layers of polyurethane rubber, fiberglass, and other materials on top of an asphalt or reinforced concrete base. It is manufactured by Rebound Ace Sports Pty Ltd, based in Brisbane, Australia.

1 Properties
2 Australian Open
3 Other product uses
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Properties

Among other things, the friction of the surface of Rebound Ace can be varied by increasing or decreasing the amount of sand in the top layer thereby customising the ball bounce and general speed of the court.^[1] Rebound Ace is sometimes compared with DecoTurf, which is used at the US Open, however Rebound Ace is built with more cushioning.

[edit] Australian Open

From 1988 until May 30 2007, Rebound Ace was the official surface of the Australian Open, when it was replaced by Plexicushion.

It was subject to some controversy in recent years when some tennis players argued that it got very sticky with high temperatures, increasing the chances of injuries.^[2] However, evidence points to it being no worse than other hard courts. A recent quote by Paul McNamee indicates that investigations found nothing, commenting that injuries are "inevitable on any hard court" and that:^[3]

“

an investigation into injuries at the Australian Open, by the ATP and WTA tours, had laid no blame on Rebound Ace.... the evidence simply wasn't there

”

Rebound Ace was also used at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, at Homebush Bay in the Sydney Olympic Park,^[4]

[edit] Other product uses

Although Rebound Ace is most well known for its use in tennis courts, also branded under the name Rebound Ace are a wide range of hardcourt and cushioned sports systems, such as Rebound Impact used at Seaworld in Orlando, Florida.^[5] Rebound Ace HSA Club is a tennis hardcourt surface that differs from Rebound Ace, in that it has less cushioning, and also has been shown to retain less heat.^[6]