The esteemed Wimbledon 2024 championships are presently underway, scheduled to occur from July 1 to July 14. An unexpected variation in this year’s tournament, amidst its traditional features, is the alteration of the tennis ball’s colour. Traditionally associated with tennis, the diminutive neon yellow sphere did not always possess this hue, and the modification was introduced by none other than David Attenborough, the renowned British broadcaster and naturalist.
The evolution of tennis balls can be traced back to the late 19th Century, when the forerunner of Lawn Tennis, Real Tennis, utilised balls constructed from leather stuffed with horse or dog hair, and eventually other materials such as wool. It was not until the late 1800s when the rubber ball manufactured by the Eagle India Rubber Company came into existence, revolutionising the game of tennis. These balls were typically white or black, contingent upon the colour of the courts.
The transition to the now-familiar yellow ball arose due to the advent of colour television in the mid-1960s. David Attenborough, who played a pivotal role in introducing colour to BBC2, recognised the necessity for a change in the tennis ball’s colour to enhance visibility on screen. After comprehensive research by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), fluorescent yellow was determined to be the most visible against the various surfaces found on tennis courts. In 1972, the ITF decreed that all tournament balls should be white or yellow in colour, leading to the eventual transition to yellow balls by the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in 1986.
While there has been debate regarding whether the balls are yellow or green, the ITF refers to them as “optic yellow”. The expedition of the official Wimbledon ball is no less enthralling, as it traverses between 11 countries and across four continents before being manufactured in Bataan in the Philippines and then transported to the UK for the event.
Throughout the tournament, the tennis balls are subject to stringent regulations, with ball kids only permitted to have six balls in circulation at any given time during a match. The balls are stored under optimal conditions to preserve their performance, with each ball refrigerated at approximately 20°C. In a fascinating turn of events, the retired balls are sold to fans, with the proceeds being donated to charity. In the past, Wimbledon has also contributed balls to the UK Wildlife Trust, where they are repurposed as homes for harvest mice.
As Wimbledon continues to captivate tennis enthusiasts worldwide, the captivating history and journey of the tennis balls utilised at the event adds a distinctive dimension to the championship.