Have you ever wondered how the fuzzy little yellow tennis balls are made? Or are they green? That’s a conversation for another time.
Well, since the Dunlop ATP ball is the most used ball on the ATP tour, used at more tournaments than any other brand of ball, including the end of year Next Gen Finals and ATP Finals, we think it’s good for people to know just how it’s made.
Natural Rubber
We use only the purest natural rubber. Then we add our secret recipe and blend to create the final rubber compound. We then extrude and measure individual ‘blanks’, blanks are essentially the pieces of rubber that are going to make the individual tennis ball (or half the tennis ball, as you’ll soon see). We do this under the strictest conditions. We find it best not have lots of different sized tennis balls and even better to not have a tennis ball that doesn’t stick together.
Blanks to Half Shells
We then use controlled pressure and temperature to mold the blanks into half shells and we add adhesive to the edge of each half shell.
Vulcanisation
Now we’re getting into it. Now it’s time for the vulcanisation process. We bond the half shells together in a temperature controlled press. This adds the internal air pressure consistently to each rubber core. This is why they bounce the way they do.
How tennis balls get their colour
We bond the rubber core to an extremely durable cloth fabric which consists of the finest natural wool blended with nylon. We use this colour as this gives the ball optimum visibility and consistent playing characteristics. In fact, it is actually TV cameras that played a big part in choosing the colour as until the 1970’s tennis balls were often white. But as TV began to take over, it became clear that this new tennis ball colour was easier to see than the original white tennis ball.
The final cure
In the final cure, the cloth is bonded to the core under controlled heat and pressure. This process creates the ball’s white rubber seams.
Going for a steam
We then ‘steam’ the ball in a large dryer. This is what ‘fluffs’ up the cloth. And the tennis balls come out feeling all relaxed and refreshed (we assume).
Time to test
Then we rigorously test the balls in the lab. This makes sure they meet the highest possible quality standards and conform to international specifications. Things we are looking for include, size, mass, bounce height and compression.
Finally
Once passed, we stamp on the Dunlop ATP logo and we add to the ATP tin. We package and seal the balls in pressurised cans. This makes sure the ball properties remain consistent until ready for play. Then they are shipped off all over the world.
Now go an impress your friends with the in depth knowledge of exactly how a tennis ball is made.
And please take a look at our selection of tennis balls here