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Tennis ball

A tennis ball is the bouncing ball designed for the sport of tennis Tennis

Tennis is a game played between either two players or two teams of two players .... 

, but also used in some other games, such as squash tennis Squash tennis

Squash tennis is an American [i] variant of squash racquets [i], but played with a ... 

 and lotball.

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Encyclopedia


A tennis ball is the bouncing ball designed for the sport of tennis Tennis

Tennis is a game played between either two players or two teams of two players .... 

, but also used in some other games, such as squash tennis Squash tennis

Squash tennis is an American [i] variant of squash racquets [i], but played with a ... 

 and lotball.

Composition

Tennis balls in the early days of tennis were made of leather Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning [i] of hide [i]s, pelt [i]s and skin [i]s of animal [i] ... 

 stuffed with hair Hair

Hair is a filamentous outgrowth from the skin [i], found mainly in mammal [i]s.
... 

 or wool Wool

Wool is the fibre derived from the fur [i] of animals of the Caprinae [i] family, principally sheep [i] ... 

. Starting in the 18th century 18th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 18th century refers to the century [i] that las ... 

, ¾" strips of wool Wool

Wool is the fibre derived from the fur [i] of animals of the Caprinae [i] family, principally sheep [i] ... 

 were wound tightly around a nucleus made by rolling a number of strips into a little ball. String was then tied in many directions around the ball and a white White

White is a color [i] that has high brightness but zero hue [i]. ... 

 cloth Textile

A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial fibre [i]s often referr ... 

 covering sewn around the ball. This type of ball, but with a cork core, is still used for the original game of tennis, today called real tennis Real tennis

Real tennis is the original racket sport [i] from which the modern game of ... 

. With the introduction of lawn tennis in the 1870s, vulcanised rubber Vulcanization

Vulcanization, or curing of rubber [i], is a chemical process [i] in which individual polymer [i] molecu... 

 was first used to manufacture balls often in tubes of four with a package with the name of the brand.

The modern tennis ball comprises two major parts, the inner core and the outer cloth covering. The inner core is constructed of two half-shell pieces of formed rubber, which are joined together with adhesive to form a single core. Two dumbbell shaped pieces of cloth are attached to the ball core by adhesive to give the tennis ball its classic appearance. The thickness and density of the ball cloth is matched to the court type for which the ball is designed.

The balls currently in use can be subdivided into two categories:
  • Pressurized Pressure

    Pressure is the force [i] per unit area [i] applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular [i] ... 

     balls have a core pressurised with air or nitrogen Nitrogen

    Nitrogen is a chemical element [i] which has the symbol N and atomic number [i] 7 in the periodic table [i] ... 

    . These balls lose their pressure Pressure

    Pressure is the force [i] per unit area [i] applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular [i] ... 

    , and hence playing properties, over time.
  • Non-pressurised balls are made from a thicker rubber Rubber

    Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon [i] polymer [i] which occurs as a milky emulsion [i] in the sap of se ... 

     core, and the pressure Pressure

    Pressure is the force [i] per unit area [i] applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular [i] ... 

     within the core is equal to the ambient pressure. These balls tend to hold their playing characteristics for a longer period of time, as it is only the cloth that deteriorates. Most players feel no difference between pressurized and pressureless balls, but top-level players claim a notable difference and thus prefer the former.


In 1999, the International Tennis Federation International Tennis Federation

The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis [i], made up of 202 national t ... 

  approved an experiment in which two new types of tennis ball would be permitted for use in tournaments. The two types of ball were designed to have different performance characteristics derived from their differing dynamic and aerodynamic properties. With the introduction of the two new types of tennis balls there are now three types of ball available for play, type I, II and III. The ball construction for all three ball types can be either pressurised or pressureless as they are classified through measurement of the diameter Diameter

n geometry [i], a diameter of a circle [i] is any straight line segment [i] that passes through the cen ... 

 of the ball and a compression test, which measures the forward and return deformation Deformation

In engineering mechanics [i], deformation is a change in shape due to an applied force [i]. ... 

 of the ball under an applied load Load

Load may mean:
  • The structural load [i] or forces applied to a structure.

... 

. Type I balls are harder than the traditional type II balls and are designed for slow pace courts such as clay. Type III balls are larger in diameter by approximately 6-8%. Research shows that they are slower through the air due to their increased drag properties, and in addition have a steeper rebound angle both giving more time for the receiver to collect the ball. Larger balls have been requested in order to create a more 'watchable' game for the audience; due to the speeds, causing lack of visibility, that proffesional tennis players can now place on the ball.


Current regulations imposed by the ITF restrict the colour of the ball to yellow or white and the seams of the tennis ball must be stitchless. Strict limits are also in place for the mass and diameter for each type of tennis ball, and in addition quasi-static tests are used to determine the ball's static stiffness and coefficient of restitution through a rebound test. Whilst these tests have the advantage of simplicity, they may not represent how a ball performs under actual playing conditions. Incident ball speeds in the rebound test of 7m/s are far short of those found at the top echelons of the male game.

Even though, as the name suggests, the ball is used primarily in tennis, it can be used as a safe substitute for games where a solid ball is necessary, for example, to replace a cricket ball Cricket ball

A cricket ball is a hard, solid ball [i] used to play cricket [i].... 

, which can inflict damage or injury if not used correctly.

The gift of tennis balls offered to Henry in Shakespeare William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English [i] poet [i] and playwright [i] widely regarded as the great ... 

's Henry V is portrayed as the final insult which re-ignites the Hundred Years' War Hundred Years' War

The Hundred Years' War was a conflict between England [i] and France [i] ... 

 between England England

England is the largest and most populous constituent country [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

 and France France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country [i] whose metropolitan territory [i] ... 

.

When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,
We will, in France, by God's grace, play a set





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