Summer has arrived! With the weather getting warmer, more and more people will be looking to take to the courts and play some tennis. Whether you’re an experienced player, a beginner, or you only occasionally hit up the astroturf, one of the most important pieces of equipment you’ll need is the tennis balls themselves.
Tennis balls are easy to find, and for very cheap too, but there are a few factors to consider before you buy, such as whether you're playing on a clay, grass, or hard court, as well as their bounce and durability. We’ll help you figure it all out, and we'll also share our picks from Amazon and eBay. You’ll be spoilt for choice with options from major brands like Wilson, Head, Dunlop and Babolat!
Quick List - Top Tennis Balls
Wilson
A Fantastic, Reliable, Long-Lasting Playing Experience
Dunlop
An Excellent All-Round Ball for Use on Multiple Surfaces
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Table of Contents
Searching for tennis balls online, you'll be inundated with results to consider, and it can be very easy to be confused by marketing promises. If you use the following categories as a guide, then you should be able to make a well-informed decision about which balls are right for you and your game.
If you’re a beginner, you're going to want balls that bounce a little slower. This will give you more time to get into position for your shot, and a better chance of connecting well with your racket. With that extra bit of time you’ll be able to enjoy the game a lot more, as well as being able to improve your technique and performance.
As you move up to the intermediate level, then you’ll likely want a higher quality ball. These sorts of balls will bounce a bit quicker and will likely be a bit more expensive but they will still be durable – you won’t have to be buying new ones for every time you play.
Once you consider yourself an advanced player, unsurprisingly, you’ll be wanting to invest in some of the highest quality balls. These will be made of the best quality materials, meaning they can cope with the hard-hitting players of this level, as well as maintaining a consistent pace and bounce.
Tennis balls will be labelled as suitable for certain levels, so you won't have to work it out by yourself!
As you may well be aware, there are several different court surfaces you can play on. Many brands will label their balls as 'all-court', which is great if you do switch between courts or you just aren't sure what to look for. However, for serious players especially, it's still wise to check that the ball you’re looking at has been created with your chosen court in mind.
Hard courts and artificial grass courts are the most common in the UK, and players will find that balls on these surfaces tend to bounce higher and come through quite quickly (although not as quickly as on grass courts).
The bounce on these courts is often more consistent, but they can also wear the ball quicker than other surfaces too, meaning you should consider extra-duty balls which will be more durable.
Clay courts aren’t as common in the UK as they are in Europe, but there are plenty around. Clay courts tend to play slower and lower than other courts, favouring those who can play defence, as their surface naturally absorbs a greater amount of impact.
If you do like to, or plan to, play on clay courts, then be sure to look for tennis balls specifically designed for them. They'll have a thinner and less fuzzy coating so as not to pick up as much clay, and are often labelled as regular-duty, as opposed to extra-duty which are much thicker.
Grass courts are well known thanks to the famous Wimbledon Tournament, but not too many everyday players play on them as they aren’t very common on public courts.
Balls will usually bounce lower on a natural grass surface and come through quickly, so here it’s especially important to use balls tailored for grass courts, if you want to get the best out of your game.
One of the most basic differences when it comes to types of tennis balls is whether they are pressurised or pressureless. The vast majority of balls that you’ll be considering buying and playing with are pressurised, but it’s important to understand the difference.
As the name suggests, pressurised balls are filled with compressed air. This makes very light, which can be felt in the way that they play. They will bounce more, feel livelier when you hit them and be more responsive to spin, especially when they are fresh out of the tube.
The better quality balls will all be pressurised, but it is worth noting that once they are out of their can, they will start losing their pressure over time.
If you’re a beginner or intermediate player this shouldn’t really matter too much, but if you’re at the top level then you will notice this and will want to replace the balls with fresh ones much sooner.
Pressureless balls will have a cheaper price tag, but due to their more solid core, they will be much heavier than their pressurised counterparts.
By default, this will translate to them feeling heavier when you hit them, plus you’ll have to hit them harder to make them fly quicker. The ball will also bounce lower, and the change in bounce will not vary as much over time.
Pressureless balls are often used in tennis ball machines and practice lessons for beginners, but not much beyond that.
While you might think that buying cheaper tennis balls is a good thing compared to investing in the more expensive versions, it is worth noting that some of the better balls include improved design features that make them durable as well.
Look out for references to reinforced rubber coating, waterproofing and “heavy-duty” as indications that your chosen tennis ball will last that bit longer.
Not only will this mean that you’re not having to buy new balls sooner, but it also means that when you do play with your balls, they will perform more consistently game after game.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Wilson Triniti Tennis Balls|Set of 3 | ![]() | The Environmentally-Friendly Option That Lasts Longer Too | |
2 | Wilson US Open Extra-Duty Tennis Balls|Set of 4 | ![]() | A Fantastic, Reliable, Long-Lasting Playing Experience | |
3 | Babolat French Open Tennis Ball|Set of 4 | ![]() | Feel Like You're Playing at the French Open | |
4 | Dunlop Fort Tournament Select All Court Tennis Balls|Set of 4 | ![]() | An Excellent All-Round Ball for Use on Multiple Surfaces | |
5 | Dunlop ATP Championship Tennis Balls |Set of 4 | ![]() | Reliable and Consistent With a Pro Seal of Approval | |
6 | Penn Championship Extra-Duty Tennis Balls|Set of 3 | ![]() | A Very Durable Mid-Range Ball Ideal for Clay and Hard Courts | |
7 | HEAD Radical Tennis Balls|3 tubes of 4 | ![]() | A Good Ball for Recreational Players as Well as Coaching | |
8 | Penn Pressureless Tennis Balls|Set of 12 | ![]() | A Great Value Pack for Drills and Training |
Wilson are one of the brands leading the charge when it comes to making environmentally-friendly tennis products. Their Triniti balls come in 100% recyclable packaging, which helps reduce their environmental impact over other options.
To make up for the non-pressurised container, Wilson have developed new techniques and materials when making the ball itself. For example, the Engage core made of new plastomer material lasts up to four times longer than a regular ball, as well as providing good levels of spin, feel and control for the player.
Wilson are one of the best-known names in tennis and they have created a reliable, exceptionally high-quality option for the US Open. The can itself is resealable, which is not only better for storage and transport but it prolongs the life of the balls, too.
The ball is best used on hard courts, although you can also use it on clay surfaces. The hard core and extra-duty felt on the outside make this ball one of the most durable in the sport. The playing experience you'll get out of it is incredible too, with a fast speed and reliable bounce.
Babolat's second entry in our top ten, and with the French Open Tennis Ball they've brought some Grand Slam quality to the mass market. These are the balls that are used in the French Open at Roland Garros, and as such are perfectly suited for playing on clay courts.
They have an increased core pressure and therefore will play a little bit faster than many other balls and bounce higher. They are very durable as well, and will stand up to the pressures of top-level play without losing any of their consistency or quality.
As the name suggests, Dunlop's Tournament Select all-court balls are an excellent choice if you're going to be playing across a range of services and want the ease of using the same balls.
Featuring the brand's 'HD core', a high-specification build that's a step up from their previous Fort range, they have a consistent bounce and excellent water-repelling properties, too. They're a great pick for tennis players of both beginner and intermediate standards.
The first Dunlop ball in our top ten impressively has the International Tennis Federation (ITF) seal of approval, as well as being endorsed by the ATP Tour. The ball falls in the mid-range category in terms of quality and durability, and can happily be used by beginners and intermediates across all surfaces.
The balls won't respond to players trying to spin the ball as much as the versions ranked higher on our list, but they are a good investment for recreational players.
Penn is a well-established name in the tennis world, and although they're perhaps more common in the USA, their balls are available in the UK as well at a slightly higher cost.
These balls are the 'regular-duty' version, and as such are a good choice if you are looking for a ball with consistent bounce and speed that will not fade quickly once you start using them. They are designed for clay and hard courts, so regular grass or turf court players may want to look elsewhere!
The HEAD Radical is a great ball for those starting to play tennis, playing recreationally or even coaching.
They can be generally used on any court surface both indoors and outdoors, and will provide a consistent bounce but will not be as responsive if you want to apply spin to the ball. Overall, their durability is average compared to the top ranked balls, so higher-level or more frequent players may find themselves replacing them sooner than they'd like.
Coming in a pack of 12 with a mesh carrying bag, this is an affordable way to stock up on pressureless balls to use for drills, group sessions, or in a tennis ball machine.
Being pressureless and made of wear- and pile-resistant rubber and polyester means that whilst they will last a long time, they are also rather heavy. In this case, they probably are best kept for beginner practice only, and purchased alongside a lighter, pressurised set rather than in replacement of one.
No. 1: Wilson |Triniti Tennis Balls|Set of 3
No. 2: Wilson|US Open Extra-Duty Tennis Balls|Set of 4
No. 3: Babolat |French Open Tennis Ball|Set of 4
No. 4: Dunlop|Fort Tournament Select All Court Tennis Balls|Set of 4
No. 5: Dunlop|ATP Championship Tennis Balls |Set of 4
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