51
Planarity
1. Calculate the mean of all the level measurements in the PPA to give the height
of the centre of a hypothetical plane parallel to the court.
2. Calculate the heights of this hypothetical plane at each of the PPA and TPA
points using the side-to-side and end-to-end slopes.
3. Use the evenness measurements from step (4) of the test procedure to correct
the height, i.e. add the depth of a hollow, or subtract the height of a bump.
4. Calculate the height difference between the surface and the ideal plane at each
measurement point. The maximum difference is the test value for planarity.
Note: A spreadsheet into which the measured coordinates and staff readings can be
entered to calculate slope and planarity can be found at:
www.itftennis.com/technical.
Recommendations
Refer to Table 4.
Note: A steeper maximum gradient is given for acrylic, impervious asphalt and
concrete courts to prevent water from collecting on the court. In the case of clay and
grass, a shallower gradient is required to minimise the erosion of the top dressing.
