Wet hard courts and tennis are a bad match. Getting a court dry is part of the game though. A Rol-Dri rain remover is standard equipment at most tennis facilities.

A Rol-Dri with thick, plastic foam inserts works better than the foam type. If you ever see a wet unit on the court drying, hang it up right away so it doesn’t dry flat; that causes a bumpity-bump effect the next time it’s used.

Bad.

Courts are built to slope from side to side a few inches. This is for drainage.

When you use the rollers, roll down the slope and the court will dry faster.

Don’t fight gravity.

Attack standing water first and then let nature do its thing. Hit the puddles; puddles take forever to evaporate.

Low temperatures contract the court surface and water will not be absorbed as quickly. If it’s humid, you’ll just have to be patient.

I know certain players that avoid rolling courts at all costs; they won’t help. However, they will play when you’ve done the work! We all know who these people are by now.

On the other hand, as we age, we find that it’s probably best just to leave and come back later, when the courts have dried by themselves.

All these problems go away when you choose to play on clay courts. They naturally absorb the rain and play better when they’re damp.