Tennis Balls

When playing tennis, apart from the occasional call of 'New Balls', a player often gives very little regard for the tennis balls that make the game happen.

With so much else to focus on, the desire not to flood the mind can be overwhelming, but a little basic knowledge of tennis balls is always useful.

There are over 20 different types of tennis balls currently in production, with differences including the pressure with which they are inflated and the surface with which they are best used. As a general rule, most tennis balls are covered in a layer of felt – often referred to as fuzz – which is a wool composite, which is then treated with various additives to prevent staining and make it more durable.

Unfortunately, unlike most areas of tennis equipment, there is no use in finding the type of ball that is most suited to your game. Whenever you play a tournament, the balls will be provided and you will just have to play with whatever is there. To counter this, try practicing with a range of different balls, from pressurized to unpressurised, to high felt and low felt.

While this is not particularly useful, do try and remember that tennis balls really only begin to differ when they have reached the end of their life cycle. Until then, most amateur players cannot identify any difference, so play with confidence.