Short version
Concrete costs more up front and lasts longer with less attention. Asphalt costs less to install and is more forgiving to repair, but it needs resurfacing sooner and more often.
Neither is a bad choice. The wrong choice is picking one without looking at your soil, your budget horizon, and how long you plan to own the property.
Concrete
Post-tensioned or properly reinforced concrete is the closest thing to permanent.
- Very resistant to cracking when it is engineered and cured correctly.
- Handles Tennessee freeze-thaw cycles well.
- Holds a true, level surface for decades.
- Higher up-front cost.
- Repairs are harder and more visible when they are needed.
We lean concrete when the court is a long-term feature of the property, or when the soil moves.
Asphalt
- Lower up-front cost.
- Slight flex, which some players prefer underfoot.
- Easier and cheaper to resurface — you can refresh it on a cycle.
- Softens in extreme heat and gets brittle with age.
- Needs resurfacing sooner than concrete.
Asphalt makes sense when up-front budget is the constraint, or on larger multi-court builds where the resurfacing cycle is already part of the maintenance plan.
What actually decides it
In our experience the base material is rarely the thing that ruins a court. These are:
- Base prep. Compaction and aggregate underneath matter more than what goes on top. A great slab on a bad base fails.
- Drainage and slope. A court needs correct crown and slope. Standing water destroys surfaces and makes play miserable.
- Curing. Rushing concrete to hit a date is how you buy cracks.
A well-built asphalt court beats a poorly built concrete one every single time.
Ask this before you sign anything
Ask any builder what they are doing below the surface. If the conversation is only about color and striping, keep looking.