Tennis Balls

By Eric Geier

Modern tennis is derived from an old French game called “Paume,” for which the first rules were written in 1592. An Englishman by the name of Walter Clopton Wingfield based his rules for a new game, called Tennis, from the rules of Paume.  Wingfield defined and patented his rules for the game on February 23, 1874. The game became popular amongst England’s elite or those who could afford to create a regulation tennis court or have access to one.

The first tennis balls were made of leather and were stuffed with hair, wool, feathers or anything else that would make the ball consistent in feel and bounce. The outer portion of the ball was usually made from animal leather or different types of intestines from sheep, goats or pigs. The ends were sewn together and the ball was ready for play. In the late 1800’s, the widespread use of rubber helped propel the game into a completely new direction. They found that rubber was more consistent, the balls lasted longer and they bounced better. Modern tennis balls are still made from rubber, but now, manufacturers use about 50 percent rubber, with synthetic material making up the remaining 50 percent. Wilson, the largest manufacturer of tennis balls, uses this blend to create their balls. The balls start out as “slugs,” small cylinder shaped hunks of rubber that are heat pressed to create the half-shell of the tennis ball. A simple adhesive is applied to a half shell and then it is pressed against another half shell, creating the rubber core of a tennis ball. Strips of felt are cut and glued to the rubber core. The nearly complete balls are run through a machine that “massages” the tennis balls to ensure that the glue is spread evenly. The felted tennis balls move onto the stamping machine that stamps them with a company’s logo and a number. The number is placed on the ball so players know which ball belongs to them during match play. Sometimes manufacturers create different blends of rubber and synthetics depending on the surface being played on. For example, they may ad more rubber if the ball is for a grass court, because regular balls tend to bounce less on grass courts. They may also use less rubber and more synthetic material if the ball is for a hard court.

Today, the International Tennis Federation regulates all of the tennis balls that are used in professional play. The ITF states that a regulation ball must be, “more than two and one half inches but less than two and five eighths” in circumference.  Rules for balls in tennis are much looser than those for other sports. There is far more leeway, for example, the rules state that when a ball is dropped onto a concrete surface from 100 inches, the ball must bounce at least 53 inches, but less than 58 inches, a five inch difference. A difference of five inches of bounce can mean the world when playing on a world stage for a major trophy. An experienced tennis player can tell the difference between balls almost instantly. Some balls are softer, some are harder, some travel faster when hit with a racquet and some offer more or less bounce. Usually, the differences lie in the manufacturer. Tennis ball maker Penn may get their materials from a different resource than say, Dunlop. It really comes down to the types of tennis balls a player feels comfortable and the balls that bring out their best play.

Tennis balls are fairly inexpensive and can be found on a variety of sports memorabilia sites, but usually a customer must seek out a site specific to tennis to get the best variety of products. The way tennis balls are uniquely mounted makes them great pieces to add to a collection. Tennis balls are usually accompanied by a photo of the player and attached to a piece of stained wood that can be mounted on a wall or mantle. 

Did you mean, Claptin, Wingfeld, Winggfield, Pen, Pennn, Dunlap or Dunlopp?