Everything You Need to Know about Tennis Balls Articles | Tennis

By: Guy Starbuck

Are you one of those who believe that all tennis balls are the same except for their colors? The truth of the matter is that tennis balls are more than mere rubber balls which bounce well. Read on, and you will learn more. 

Firstly, there are two types of tennis balls: Pressurized and Pressure-less.  

Pressurized vs. Pressure-less Tennis Balls: 

Pressurized balls are those which are filled with air or nitrogen and hollow inside. Their life span is short, not more than a month as much of the pressure is lost once you open the can and the seal is broken. After the ball has its ability to bounce, it is called a dead ball. 

On the other hand, pressure-less balls have a hard and solid core with a felt covering. These are excellent as practice balls and for those players who do not play too frequently. The biggest disadvantage of these balls is that with use, the felt covering gets damaged. In such cases, the ball has to be replaced. 

Regular Duty, Extra Duty, or High Altitude Tennis Balls:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<!--[endif]-->Regular duty tennis balls are used when the game is played indoors and on clay courts. 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->- <!--[endif]-->Extra duty tennis balls are meant for use on grass courts and tennis courts. These should never be used on clay courts as they can lose its efficacy and become ‘fuzzy’.   

<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<!--[endif]-->When the game is played in places like Denver or high altitude areas like 4000 feel above sea level, you use high altitude tennis balls. Since normal balls would bounce excessively at such high altitudes, these balls feature different pressures.

Tennis Ball “Fuzziness:”

Why are tennis balls fuzzy?  The fuzz creates friction which in turn creates dray in the air. This results in and increases the possibility of more pronounced topspin and backspin. 

Numbers on the Tennis Balls:

Did it ever occur to you why manufacturers put numbers on tennis balls? It is no great mystery though, as it is a simple and elementary way to know which balls belong to you and which do not. Imagine playing a match on a court, which has another court next to it. If the players of the other court are not using the same manufacturer’s balls and their balls are not similarly numbered, it is easy for all players to retrieve their own set of balls in case of overthrow. So next time you hit a ball which flies off to another court, you know how to retrieve your own balls. Just check out the numbers! 

Tennis Ball Color:

Why tennis balls are made in different colors like yellow, green, red and orange? Some manufacturers believe that making the balls in such bright colors will help players to locate and see the balls better and more clearly. Especially with children, bright colored balls are easier to identify and hit. 

Now that is a lot of information, which perhaps you never knew existed, about tennis balls. This information will surely help you when you go out to buy a set of tennis balls as you will know which ones are best suited for you or your children.