Grasscourt season exists, unless you're an ITF player

(Getty/Markhanna)

June on the tennis calendar means one thing: grasscourt season.

The ATP, WTA, broadcasters, and media sites promote the few weeks each year when pristine green courts take centre stage.

Players swap clay for grass as they chase titles at Queen's, Halle, Berlin, and Eastbourne before tennis' most famous tournament, Wimbledon.

At the top of the game, grass remains healthy. The ATP and WTA Tours each feature six grasscourt tournaments over three weeks before Wimbledon.

Scratch beneath the surface, however, and the picture begins to change.

The ATP Challenger Tour still provides some opportunities on grass, but even there, it remains a minority surface. Last week, four of the five Challengers were on clay, while this week, four of the six will be.

By the time players reach the ITF World Tennis Tour, grasscourt tournaments have almost disappeared entirely.

Grass is endangered on the ITF calendar

The decline in grasscourt tournaments at ITF level has been consistent over the past 15 years.

The women's circuit reached a high of 11 grasscourt tournaments in both 2012 and 2013. In 2026, there are just three.

Some of the historical Japanese events were played on synthetic grass and would now be classified as carpet courts. Even so, if we go back to 2018, there were still six women's grasscourt events on the calendar, double the number available today.

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The men's circuit has also shrunk. There were four grasscourt tournaments on the ITF men's tour as recently as 2023. In 2026, there are just two.

This year's men's tournaments were both staged in Australia in March, meaning there are no men's ITF grasscourt tournaments during the traditional season leading into Wimbledon.

The women's calendar is only marginally better. Of the three tournaments on the schedule, only one takes place during the Wimbledon build-up, with the remaining two also in Australia in March.

The decline is particularly striking given that grass remains one of the most visible and celebrated surfaces in the game.

While Wimbledon continues to sit at the pinnacle of the sport and the ATP and WTA Tours maintain substantial grasscourt swings, the opportunities available to players developing through the ITF ranks have shrunk considerably.

The contrast with clay-court specialists is stark. During June alone, dozens of ITF tournaments are played on the surface across Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

For players whose games are suited to those surfaces, opportunities to build rankings exist almost every week.

Grasscourt specialists do not have the same luxury.

With so few tournaments available at the ITF level, there are limited opportunities to earn ranking points on the surface. 

That can make it more difficult to gain entry to higher-level grasscourt events in the build-up to Wimbledon, creating a cycle in which players may have games ideally suited to grass but receive few chances to prove it.

A grasscourt player's perspective

Australian Ashleigh Simes experienced that reality this year.

The 23-year-old won nine of her 10 ITF grasscourt matches this year, reaching the final in Wodonga before claiming her maiden professional title in Swan Hill.

"I went into those tournaments with confidence and trust in my game," Simes told The First Serve.

"I felt super calm on the grass and wasn't overthinking things, which allowed me to play freely. Winning my first professional title was really special and was definitely a great stepping stone for this stage of my career."

Nine wins on the surface is world-leading this year, and Simes said grass has always suited her style of play.

"I've always had a more aggressive game style where I like to take risks and take time away from my opponents," she said. "Grass suits that style, and I've always felt comfortable on it even since juniors."

Asked whether she would like to see more grasscourt opportunities at ITF level, her answer was straightforward.

"I definitely wish there were more ITF grass tournaments," she said. "It's a super unique surface that can change up the game a lot. Not many people get to experience playing on grass, so increasing the opportunity for people to compete on it would add some fun variety to the tour."

The ITF response

The ITF says it sees value in expanding opportunities on the surface.

"The ITF does see value in providing additional grasscourt opportunities, particularly in the run-up to Wimbledon," an ITF spokesperson told The First Serve.

"The ITF introduced this week a new grasscourt W50 event in Hurghada, Egypt, and we are in active discussions to try to bring additional grasscourt events to other countries next year."

According to the governing body, one of the biggest challenges is maintaining suitable venues.

"There are fewer grasscourt venues these days due to the cost of maintaining grasscourts and the fact that other surfaces can be played on all year round."

However, over the years, ITF grass tournaments have been able to be played in many countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, India, Pakistan, Czechia and Italy.

Looking ahead

Simes acknowledges that ultimately, professional players need to be able to perform on every surface.

"With so few tournaments, there aren't many chances to build points on a surface that suits your game, which can make it harder to qualify for bigger events during the grass season," she said.

"But then again, you need to be able to have your game suit any surface at this level."

For Simes, that challenge will have to wait a little longer.

Just four days after winning her maiden professional title at Swan Hill, she was involved in a major car accident, airlifted to hospital, had surgery on her pelvis, fractured her left clavicle and suffered a kidney tear.

"Very unexpected but super lucky to be here and I've had amazing support from my friends, family and the tennis community," she said.

Her immediate focus is now on rehabilitation and a return to competition.

"For now, I'm trying to get back on court as quickly as possible but am taking rehab very seriously," she shared.

Simes is hoping to get back into competitive tennis later this year, but is unsure at this stage if that will eventuate. That said, she is hopeful for a proper return in 2027.

"Next year I will definitely continue to give the tour a crack and see how it goes."

When that comeback does arrive, it will almost certainly come on another surface than grass.

Despite the ITF's intention to create more opportunities on the surface, grass remains a rarity on the developmental pathway. 

For aspiring professionals, the road to Wimbledon is increasingly being built everywhere except on grass.

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