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Tennis balls are one of the
major elements of tennis. In a way, it’s even the center of the game, “keep
the tennis ball on play and never let it out of your sight”. So let’s talk
about tennis balls.
Tennis balls have uniform
outer surface, no matter what the brand or who manufactures it, if there are
any seams, they are stichless. The color of the ball is always either white
or yellow, and the size is more than two and a half inches (6.35cm) and less
than two and five –eights inches (6.67cm) in diameter. Its weight can be
more than two ounces (56.7 grams) and less than two and one-sixteenth ounces
(58.5 grams). They shall have a bound of more than 53 inches (135cm) and
less than 58 inches (147 cm) when dropped 100 inches (245 cm) upon a
concrete base, and shall have forward deformation of more than .220 (.56 cm)
of an inch and less than .290 of an inch (.74cm) and return deformation of
more than .315 of an inch (.80cm) and less than .425 of an inch (1.08cm) at
18 lb (8.165kg) load.
Tennis Balls Structure
Almost all tennis balls are
made from inflated rubber covered with fabric and is hollow. The fabric
which is called the “nap” or “felt”, is the ingredient that changes the
most, mainly basing on what type of surface court the ball is intended for.
Tennis balls that are designed for grass courts have different felt than
those intended for play on asphalt or clay. Playing with the “wrong” ball
may have performance difference on the surface courts that they are not
intended for, like using grass court balls on hardcourt surfaces which will
weigh them down and cause the felt to peel more quickly.
Tennis balls cans are
almost always labeled so make sure you get the appropriate type of where you
play:
Regular duty
Balls that are for indoor
and clay courts
Heavy duty or Extra
Duty
For outdoor hardcourts or
grass courts
High Altitude or
High-Altitude
If you play 4,000 feet more
than sea level and for occasional tennis players
Titanium Balls
This type of tennis balls
are recently innovated and are made with specially formulated rubber that is
blended with powdered titanium. The metal strengthens the bonds in the core
and increases the playable life of the ball. Like any other regular tennis
ball, titanium balls will lose their vigor over time but they will take
longer to wear out.
Air Inside Tennis Balls
As with the fabric “felt”,
the air inside the ball can also be controlled. Some manufacturers would use
nitrogen instead of regular air because these types of balls usually lose
their pressure slower than other balls. But the long-lasting tennis balls
are the “pressureless” balls which has solid, rubber cores. Since these
tennis balls have no air inside them to escape, they are good for those who
play occasionally, as they do not lose their liveliness over time.
“High Altitude” Balls
These tennis balls are for
play above 4,000 feet in altitude above sea level, two additional types of
ball may be used, the pressurized ball and the non-pressurized ball.
Numbers on Tennis Balls
Numbers on tennis balls can
be found right under the logo, this is so to avoid a mix-up of someone’s
ball when you are playing on adjacent courts and they’re using the same
brand or type of ball as yours. The numbers make it easier to keep up with
your tennis balls; you can tell which court to throw the extra ball to the
same way they can get your ball to you easily. The colors are usually
black numbers on hard court balls and red numbers on clay court
balls.
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