We often get asked about tennis balls at St Ann’s Tennis. So here is an explanation of what we buy, what we recommend, and what we do with the balls afterwards.
For all our competitions – club tournaments, Parks League, LTA tournaments – we use exclusively ‘superior’ quality, ITF-approved tennis balls, as used in professional tennis. Using lesser balls is a bit of a false economy, in our opinion. We avoid Head Radical or training balls, and always check for the ITF endorsement logo on the side.
ITF is the governing body of tennis, and they are responsible for approving tennis balls for professional competition, rigorously testing each brand at the ITF ball-testing laboratory in Roehampton. “Thousands of balls are put through their paces to ensure that they comply with the rules of tennis before being approved for competition. ITF approval lasts for 12 months, so each year manufacturers must resubmit brands as well as presenting new ones for approval. Each ball is tested for size, mass, stiffness, bounce and durability.”
We tend to go for the main brands, aiming to pay about £5-6 per tube of four balls. Our preferred list is:
Head Tour
Artengo Speed Pro
Wilson US Open
Dunlop Australian Open
Dunlop Fort
Mantis Tour
With inflation, it is getting harder to find these balls within the £5-6 price range! Standard costs are now £7-£10 per tube. For economy and convenience, we often buy Artengo Speed Pro in boxes of 18 from Decathlon for competitions, and then re-use them for club sessions and coaching sessions. I did test these (ITF approved) Artengo balls out with players in advance, and got very positive feedback. They are consistent, reliable, don’t fluff up, and do not die aver two hours.
Coach Jimmy has a good deal with a new supplier Mantis, an independent London-based sports manufacturer, which now has its ITF approved ‘tour’ range. We’ve checked out their balls, and find them to be quite excellent – the reliable, quality tennis ball you’ve never heard. We like the Mantis grassroots, VFM, tennis-obsessive vibe. Check them out here.
Generally we shop around and grab anything that matches our spec at competitive prices, with cost per tube often varying quite markedly. One company will want to empty its stock for whatever reason – cashflow, re-branding – and suddenly there will be a lot available at a good price. Then they disappear again. If you get a good price, and you are happy with the ball, we recommend bulk buying. And look for the ITF logo.
Recycling: At present we recycle balls to local schools, via a volunteer tennis friend from the Parks League (Lyn Paterson). We’ve also done direct donations to schools (Kings School, Hove). We are in discussion with Sussex County Cricket which also wants to take our old balls. If you have any old balls, preferably in a solid box or bag, then I will take them.
And finally, for those lost balls in and around St Ann’s Well Gardens, there is Rufus The Retriever, who is a gifted and well-trained ball finder, reliable for several dozen lost balls a year.
