This week's Throwback Thursday from the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum explores the history of the humble tennis ball...
The tennis ball. A simple yet vital piece of equipment at the heart of the game. The object that instantly grabs the attention of the spectators– where will it hit? Is it in or out? As a ball can determine if a point is won or lost, it is inevitable that so much attention is placed on its manufacture.
Between 1877 and 1902, Wimbledon was supplied with balls from Jefferies & Co and F.H. Ayres. In 1902, Slazenger stepped in as the official supplier at the request of the leading players at the time. The above photograph was taken in 1926 at the Slazenger factory in Woolwich. For the past 113 years, they have supplied Wimbledon with the crème de la crème of tennis balls. It is possibly the longest running commercial partnership in the sporting world.
White balls were used as they were easy to spot on the court. However, with the introduction of colour television, white balls became harder to see. In 1972, the International Tennis Federation introduced the high-visibility tennis ball after research showed these to be more visible for television viewers. These balls were introduced at Wimbledon in 1986.
Enter the age of the high-visibility ball! Manufactured from premium woven cloth, Slazenger’s Championships ball uses an ultra-visibility dye which allows for optimum visibility. Let’s face it, what good is watching a game of tennis if you can’t see the ball! Slazenger also use their patented Hydroguard™ technology which repels up to 70% more water than other tennis balls.
On average 54,250 balls are used during The Championships fortnight. In order to become one of these Championship balls each one must represent perfection. Firstly, they must have a diameter of between 6.54 and 6.86cm. Secondly, they must weigh 57.7grams. As the Learning department demonstrated during last year’s tournament, this would equate to the size of an adult male hippopotamus.
The museum has over 200 tennis balls in the collection, with the earliest dating from around 1480 and the most recent from The Championships, 2014. A selection of these can be seen in the museum gallery, along with a ball throwing machine from the 1950s.
Find out how to visit the Museum and see these balls for yourself...
