The softness underfoot is a huge advantage as it absorbs a significant amount of shock from each step a player takes, reducing the stress on leg joints from running around the court.
Many players also enjoy the slowness of clay, as it gives them more time to reach each ball, thus leading to longer rallies and better exercise.
If you want to improve your patience and ability to think ahead to your next shot, playing on clay will help, as it makes the “one big shot” far more difficult on a clay surface from your opponents.
Clay is much cooler under a hot sun than a hard court is. Conversely in wet conditions, although even the best clay court will take at least an hour to dry after a heavy rain, clay is by far the safest surface to continue playing on in a light drizzle. When wet, hard courts can be dangerous under foot and grass is worse
