Just curious about what happens when a professional player is offered three tennis balls, and then they toss one back to the ball boy/girl. Is that ball removed from play entirely, or is it offered again later?
The same question about balls that have actually been in play at some point. Do they get removed entirely from play?
And are they balls then sold to the public as “game used,” or are they just thrown away?
As far as your first two questions, they get offered again. A certain number of balls are in rotation during a professional game of tennis. These balls stay “in play” until the umpire calls for new balls (meaning a whole new set of balls) or an individual ball can be removed from play if it’s severely damaged in some fashion or simply hit into the stands. Though I think three of the four majors make people return such balls.
As far as after the match is completely over, I have no idea if they throw them away or sell them as novelties or what.
A tennis ball that has been in play with professionals isn’t going to be good for much other than a souvenir or a dog toy. The balls lose air, felt and bounce relatively quickly. Even at the high school level, every match required fresh balls, and the #1 boys singles match would get to change balls after two sets, I think. I usually played #3 singles, and we had to use the same balls through the whole match. College and pro players go through balls even more quickly.
They end up in beef tacos at Taco Bell?
I couldn’t find a cite in a quick search, but I’m pretty sure my grandmother (who is still a keen tennis player at the age of 83) has purchased used tennis balls in the past. While such balls would not be acceptable for tournament or match play, they still have plenty of life left in them for a knockabout at a tennis club. Couple of links that may be pertinent to the question:
http://www.usedtennisballs.co.uk/
Note that the second one is dated 2001, so not sure if this has become a regular scheme - I suspect not.
I have never understood why tennis pros go through the routine of taking 3 balls and discarding one before each serve. The balls are brand new, of the best quality available, and are replaced every seven games. What possible difference are they going to detect in a quick glance? I’m guessing it’s a throwback to when quality control was much less good and there could be differences.
When I play tennis, usually using a motley collection of almost completely worn out balls, I do tend to select the harder ones for my first serve (just in case it is one of the 20% that are good), and the softer ones for my second, in the hope that the lower bounce and ridiculously slow pace will deceive the receiver :).
Former “Ballboy” here.
The ballperson will offer and pass as many tennis balls to the player as they ask for. The player will pass back any ball they don’t like (for whatever reason - vibe? - they are all the same). But that same ball will be offered up again next point.
The balls are rotated out on a fixed schedule. Every 7 games if my memory serves correctly. All balls are disposed of after the match.
There is a very large, very happy, very exercised number of golden retrievers and black labs living in the Wimbledon neighborhood.
They make their way to the feet of medical walkers in nursing homes across the country.
If they picked them at random it might be the differrence between a ball that has been through a few long rallies and one that has only been bit a handful of times. The difference between new balls and old ones is measurable. If they didn’t rotate them, towards the end of the seven game period that difference would be even more pronounced. Sports people are always looking for anything that gives them an edge, the margins between success and failure can be very small. Of course, we shouldn’t forget that they are often superstitious (pre-game rituals, power-balance bracelets etc.).
My wife bought a set of used match balls as a souvenir when she went to Wimbledon (as a spectator) back in the late 90’s. They weren’t expensive, and there was no indication of what match they had been used in.
Indeed - my point is, though, that given the quality of the balls and the frequency of the changes, I find it very hard to believe that such differences are detectable. Not being a pro tennis player, though, I wouldn’t know for sure. Until one shows up and claims that they can tell the difference, I’m going to go with the assumption that it is a ritual born out of tradition that no longer has any practical relevance.
Also, I fully appreciate the superstition side of things. I fondly remember Goran Ivanisevic asking ballboys at the opposite end of the court to pass a particular ball straight back to him for the next serve if he had just aced his opponent. I think that he even hit balls into the crowd on occasion if he had played a bad shot and didn’t want to use that ball any more :).
Can’t they be repressurized for future use? Or is the loss of fuzz a factor, too?
It’s actually after 7 games and then every 9. It is only 7 for the first change because they have also warmed-up with those balls.
You are correct. It has been a loooong time (1986-1988).
Some seek therapy. Individual or group sessions.
Others change their standards and go after hand and raquet balls, lest they be rejected (and embarrassed) again.
A small percentage can’t recover and are never seen again.
I’m here all week.