Think of an iconic moment in tennis—Rafael Nadal’s win over Roger Federer, John McEnroe throwing a fit, Venus and Serena Williams facing off across the net, Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King winning the doubles title, Pete Sampras’s career—and even those who don’t follow the sport will likely imagine a game played on the iconic grass courts of Wimbledon. Grass courts have a long and storied history in the sport, and are often considered the ultimate surface that brings out the best in an elite player. What most don’t know is that the Turfgrass Science Program, run by UMass Amherst’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, is revered not only for its research into sports turfs, but for its grass tennis courts—free for all—that have drawn tennis players from all across the U.S. for more than a decade.
