Tennis Ball
More than just a yellow round fuzzy ball that bounces on the court from one player to the other, a tennis ball goes beyond “simple”. For those who thought that tennis balls are all the same, you may want to start correcting that idea now. A tennis ball is more complicated than that. In fact, today’s tennis balls come in three types of felt, four speeds, and two essential means of producing their bounce. But let’s not get too complicated; instead concentrate on two main types of tennis balls –the pressurized tennis balls and the pressureless tennis balls.
Pressurized Tennis Ball
This type of tennis ball has a hollow core that is filled with air. Several manufacturers of tennis balls utilize nitrogen for the ball’s center, as this kind of air has the tendency to last longer. A pressurized tennis ball will lose its pressure in approximately one month or more after opening its pressurized can. When this type of tennis ball loses it pressure, the ball becomes “dead”, and no longer bounces well.
These are also perhaps the most common type of tennis ball used, as they perform better when brand new. Lots of professional players use them for only one match, and then they’re disposed of.
Wilson’s Double Core tennis ball features an “extra” inner coating that’s designed to prevent air from escaping, so it tends to last longer. Gamma manufactures pressurized tennis balls that are filled with nitrogen, which is said to escape the ball more slowly. Nevertheless, all pressurized balls will lose its bounce in one way or another, slower or faster.
Pressureless Tennis Ball
This type of tennis ball has a solid core. They are excellent for those who don’t play tennis often or to be used as training balls. Pressureless tennis balls don’t lose their bounce, but their felt eventually wears off, and they’ll need to be replaced in due time.
Pressureless tennis balls get its bounce from the makeup of its rubber shell. This rubber shell maintains elasticity even without the help of air pushing from the inside. Brand new pressureless balls are usually stiffer and “less” bouncy compared to pressurized balls. However, as they “age”, they become bouncier because of its felt wearing down, which makes them lighter.
This type of ball is discarded when they become “bald”, making them too bouncy and losing its normal “aerodynamics”.
Different Features
Aside from tennis balls being pressurized and pressureless, they also come with different “endurance”. Tennis balls are available as “regular duty”, “extra duty”, or “high altitude” tennis balls. These specifications are clearly marked on the container of the tennis ball, and will help you identify the type of ball it contains.
Tennis balls that are specified as regular duty balls must be used only indoors or on clay courts. On the other hand, extra duty balls will get very fuzzy if they are used on clay courts. The high altitude balls are used when playing on places that are 4,000 feet or more “above sea level”. These types of balls have a different “pressure” construction, which allows them not to be excessively bouncy at this elevation.
While almost every tennis ball is hollow and made of inflated rubber that’s covered with fabric, this fabric or “felt” is the material that most often changes. The change in felt is greatly based on the type of court surface that the tennis ball is intended for. Take for instance a “grass court ball” that’s used on a “hardcourt” surface, the inappropriate surface type will weigh them down, causing its felt to quickly pill off than how it normally would. Thus, the right construction and features of a tennis ball is important.
Tennis balls are basic equipment of the game. They come with different important features and must be chosen suitably for the game.