Clubs put down surface for tennis (4)
I believe the answer is:
clay
'surface for tennis' is the definition.
(surface in eg the French Open)
'clubs put down' is the wordplay.
'clubs' becomes 'c' (abbreviation used in card games such as bridge).
'put down' becomes 'lay' ('lay' can be a synonym of 'put down'**).
'c'+'lay'='CLAY'
(Other definitions for clay that I've seen before include "Earth for pottery" , "Moulding material" , "Soil used in pottery" , "Potter's material" , "Court surface" .)