Regular-duty tennis balls are ideal for gameplay on soft clay and indoor courts. The thinner felt of regular-duty tennis balls makes them absorb less clay on impact, but it also means they won’t last as long if you play with them on hard courts.
Subsequently, are tennis balls different for clay courts?
As you might guess, tennis balls travel slower on clay courts than they do on hard courts or on grass. … Regular-duty balls therefore have a thinner and less fuzzy felt covering so that the balls will pick up less clay when used on those courts. “Extra-duty” or “hard court” balls are for use on hard and grass courts.
Moreover, what is the difference between extra duty and regular duty tennis balls?
Regular duty balls: meant for soft clay courts, and indoor courts. They have a softer felt but do not last as long on hard courts. Extra duty tennis balls: meant for hard-courts. The felt on the ball is woven with more wool to help withstand harder courts, and making them last longer.
Can you use extra duty tennis balls on clay courts?
Bottom line: If you use a hard court, extra duty ball on a clay court surface, the clay will penetrate the felt and cause the ball to puff up. If you use a clay court, regular duty ball on a hard court surface, the ball’s durability is compromised and it will wear down much quicker.
What is clay court made of?
Green clay courts are made from crushed basalt, which is volcanic rock. The use of clay courts is more common in Europe than in North America. Like grass, clay courts require considerable maintenance. The courts need to be rolled to maintain flatness.
Are Wilson or Penn tennis balls better?
Ratkovich, of Penn, said Penn ATP World Tour and Pro Penn Marathon balls had a higher grade of felt and a stronger rubber core for players with more power and spin. They cost more but last longer. … Wilson’s extra-duty tennis balls, introduced in 1960, are the ball of choice for most hardcourt play.
How long do extra duty tennis balls last?
So how long do tennis balls really last? Tennis balls will go bad after about 2 weeks or 3-4 playing sessions. Unopened tennis balls are kept in a pressurized tube to help them retain bounciness and firmness, but even those will expire after two years (due to very tiny leaks).
What does extra duty tennis ball mean?
Developed for hard, abrasive court surfaces, Extra Duty tennis balls have a thicker felt woven a bit looser around the core to withstand shearing. That means that the felt on these balls are less likely to fluff up as they are played.
Is it hard to play tennis on clay?
Clay is certainly the tennis court surface that is easiest on the body. That is probably why it is so popular among senior tennis players. Hard-courts have the best bounce, are easy to maintain, and allow offensive as well as defensive players to be successful.
Is clay faster than hard court?
Post Tension Concrete Hard Courts
Hard courts dry much faster than clay courts. As far as play on a hard court, it’s much faster than clay and the bounce is lower. The tennis players who have an advantage are those who have a fine all-around game. … Most post-tension concrete hard courts use an acrylic finish.