SCHÖPP-SPORTBODEN GMBH

In 1999, Schöpp-Sportboden GmbH launched the Slide quality, the first textile tennis floor with a loop structure, an absolute product innovation on the market. The revolutionary advantage of this generation of surfaces was that the larger amount of granules required for playing with profiled tennis shoes is held much better thanks to the pronounced loop structure. The distinctive rubber structure ensures even gliding behaviour when playing with profiled shoes! In 2010, we further developed the structure of our structured loop granule surface. The new herringbone structure Winner is characterised by a particularly coarse structure for an even more sustainable, uniform granule distribution and very sand-like ball bounce properties. With a yarn count of 1,000 g/sqm and 256,000 N/sqm, proven on approx. 1,000 Slide and Winner pitches, SCHÖPP® Winner has an extremely high-quality tuft construction.

The classic smooth velour flooring dominated the market for performance-oriented tennis surfaces until the 1990s. It was made from a special tennis yarn with filament thicknesses of 30-40 dtex (fibre cross-section). The further development of tennis rackets over the last 20 years has fundamentally changed the game of tennis. The development of rackets has made it possible for recreational players to accelerate the ball considerably. Today, the tennis surface has to slow the ball down more and allow it to bounce higher. The very fast classic velour has almost completely disappeared from the market in most countries as a result of the changed requirements for tennis surfaces. On the other hand, the structureless and unfilled surface is favoured by performance-oriented tennis players. With this clientele in mind, the latest development from Schöpp is a very coarse-fibre velour flooring with a single filament thickness of 200 dtex!

The sliding surfaces used in the past had a number of weak points, which can be attributed to the granules used: Quartz sand is too hard and destroys the base coverings very quickly, while the various rubber granules are too soft and too uneven in shape, so that they in turn are ground up relatively quickly. Both sliding media are controversial due to the dust they generate and bring with them unpleasant side effects such as breathing difficulties, discolouration of clothing and a great deal of cleaning work in the tennis hall and social areas. A new manufacturing process has made significant progress possible: Perfect-Glide tennis granules are not ground from a block of rubber like conventional granules, but are spun into threads using an extruder and then cut to a defined length in a cooling bath. This process enables the production of fine, dust-free extruder micro-granules in a new, optimised lens shape.

We have installed SCHÖPP® Allround structured velour on around 2000 courts since 1994. It can be played on both with and without our Perfect Glide extruder granules, recommended with treadless tennis shoes. Due to its versatility and its very "honest" ball bounce characteristics, it is equally appreciated by all classes of players. From 1994 to 1998, this product was produced with 750 g/sqm. Since then, a pile weight of 1,000 g/sqm has proved its worth. However, the yarn weight can be increased to 1,250 or 1,400 g/sqm on request. This makes the fabric surface even more compact and durable. What is particularly important here is that the higher yarn insert weight leads to a higher pile density of up to 300,000 pimples/sqm and only marginally to a higher pile height, which would have a negative impact on ball bounce behaviour! A higher yarn weight is by no means an equivalent substitute for our highly elastic, filler-free polymer coating!