Dunlop tennis balls being used at the 2020 Australian Open (Getty Images)
Tennis balls used to be white or black until ITF brought in a new rule change in 1972
Tennis buffs, who have been following the game would know that the colour of tennis balls has not always been yellow.
The earliest Tennis balls once used to be white or black in colour. Considering the fact that the game has gone a long way from its initial days when lawn tennis was introduced in the late 1800s.
Balls used then were either white or black – a trend that continued until 1970s. However, the ball we see it today – a yellow small orb made an advent into the sport at a very crucial juncture, and there is a reason behind it.
Back in 2018, a debate sparked across social media platforms centred exclusively around the colour of a tennis ball. The question being whether the ball was actually yellow or something else.
According to a few, the colour of a tennis ball was green while others found it to be a mix of both. Legendary BBC documentarian Sir David Attenborough played a crucial role in how we see the tennis ball today.
For nearly a century since its formulation tennis balls were either white or black until 1972 when they took over the bright neon colour. Attenborough was working as a studio controller for the BBC back then.
In the late 1960s, he was leading the charge to broadcast the Wimbledon in colour for the first time ever. A fascinating move at that time as it brought the game to life. However, the colour of the ball made it difficult to track it, especially near the white courtliness.
This led to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) taking a look into the issue. The study that ensued found out that yellow tennis balls were easy for the home viewers to decode on screens.
An official 1972 ITF finally came into action wherein all balls were supposed to have a uniform surface and be white or yellow in colour. However, despite the TV viewers difficulties, Wimbledon did not change the colour of the ball to yellow until 1986.
The tennis ball that you see played across Grand Slams and other major tournaments has been labelled officially as ‘optic yellow’ according to the ITF.
There are several companies such as Dunlop, Slazenger, Wilson, Head Penn and Babolat among several others that manufacture the yellow tennis ball as we see it today. Let’s take a look at some of the tennis balls used in the Grand Slams events.
At present, the season-opening Major uses Japanese manufactured Dunlop tennis balls. The Australian authorities recently signed a commercial deal with Dunlop back in 2018 that will make them partners for the next five years.
Before Dunlop’s introduction, American sports equipment manufacturing company Wilson used to supply balls for the Australian Open.
Until last year, French company Babolat used to supply balls for the clay-court tournament. Prior to it, Dunlop used to the official sponsor for the Roland Garros tournament till 2011.
However, from 2020 onwards Babolat will be replaced by Wilson as the former ended their partnership with the French Open.
English manufacturing company Slazenger has been sponsoring balls for the grass-court tournament now for a very long time.
The two share one of the oldest partnerships in sporting good history – a relation that started since 1902. Unlike other Majors, Wimbledon and Slazenger share an unparalleled bond that has seen the partnership thrive for almost more than 100 years.
Wilson has been the preferred customer when it comes to the US Open. For over forty years Wilson has been sponsoring balls since the US Open’s transition from grass courts to hard courts in 1978.
Meanwhile, Masters tournaments such as Indian Wells and Miami use tennis balls supplied by sports manufacturing company Head Penn.
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