With the 2025 US Open in its last day, we take a look at how when balls are changed and the reason why.
How often do they change the tennis balls at the US Open and why do they do it?
The US Open is about to wrap this year. and today Carlos Alcaraz will face Jannik Sinner in what promises to be another epic major final.
Nothing like the sound of opening a can of balls
Arthur Ashe stadium is ready for the Italian and Spaniard to face off in another major final. The balls are ready to go and have a pop to them that is just as audible on TV as it is inside the stadium in Flushing Meadows.
That sound of the tennis ball popping off the racket is familiar to any tennis player, from preteen summer campers to US Open champions. Even novices like me can appreciate the sound and smell of a fresh can of balls.
In the professional game, players are afforded many luxuries that you and I aren’t lucky enough to enjoy. From ball girls and boys to towels that are readily on hand for sweat, to water, Gatorade and any other beverage that they might want, it’s pampering 101. Indeed, it definitely beats you and me running around the court to collect our own balls, buying our own water, and reusing the same towel we used in the gym earlier that week.
ATP and ITF have strict rules when it comes to their balls
That’s right. Not only are there line judges and chair umpires, who remove the arguments we have about whether the ball was in or not, but they’ve also got new tennis balls to play with any time they wish. That’s right. While we mere mortals are forced to hit the same balls that we ourselves bought, sometimes those which we gave our dogs while playing fetch, the pros are out there going things balls like sand on a beach.
Maybe my tennis experiences aren’t the same as someone who takes it more seriously and pays a monthly fee to be a member of a club, but even those club members are usually hitting the same pack or two of balls for the entirety of their match. So, just what are the rules when it comes to ball replacement? In the professional game, the first set of balls are to be used for the first seven games, and then balls are changed every ninth game thereafter according to ATP and ITF rules,. Each ball chance consists of two sleeves or six balls.
How many balls are used at the US Open?
Throughout the course of the US Open an estimated 70,000 balls are used.
After the US Open, many used balls are donated to youth sports organizations.
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