Some of the grass courts, according to former national champion Gaurav Natekar, “are there in old clubs like Delhi Gymkhana and Tollygunge only because of their charm and history. None of these courts hold any major tournament.”
Though the cost of laying grass courts is less, they are very expensive to maintain, according to Ameet Malhotra, the founder of Sports Turf and Golf enterprises, a sports turf construction and maintenance company. Tending a grass court is more complex than clay or hard courts. “Growing grass is a technical thing,” he says. “It’s difficult if you are not a good agronomist (an expert in soil management and field-crop production), as grass involves insecticides and can cause some disease to the players.”
According to Ameet, grass courts (used for training) can only be used for three to four hours a day after which, maintenance work should be carried out. But clay and synthetic courts, he says, can be used for eight to ten hours.