How often do they change the tennis balls at Wimbledon and why do they do it?
With the 2024 Wimbledon Championships in full swing, we can assume tens of thousands of balls have been used at the All England Club, but how many?
As the oldest tennis tournament in the world, the Wimbledon Championships have been in play for approximately 136 years. Now, while the tournament is steeped in history and tradition, if you look around the compound you will find that everything is new, even the tennis balls with which the players play.
Nothing like the sound of opening a can of balls
The grass is green and lush, and the player’s white outfits are impeccably pressed and stainless. And the balls have a pop to them that is just as audible on TV as it is inside of Center Court in Wimbledon.
That sound of the tennis ball popping off the racket is familiar to any tennis player, from preteen summer campers to Wimbledon 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.
Over 50,000 used at Wimbledon
Throughout the course of the Wimbledon Championships, there are tens of thousands of balls that are used from qualifiers all the way up to the final Sunday at Center Court. Back in 2018, there were a total of 54,520 balls used at the All-England Club.
In Wimbledon, balls are not just tossed away after their tournament life is done. The balls are collected and resold at the championship kiosk, for fans to take home a piece of memorabilia. Each sleeve of three balls is sold for £2.50 and the proceeds go back towards the Wimbledon Foundation’s charity work.