Any problem using clay court balls on hard courts?

[EddieBrock]

I already have a ton of clay court balls and started playing more on hard courts. In my last league match the guy I was playing with complained about it. I know that the balls won't last as long on the hard courts, but I'm basically only playing 2 sets with them anyway. It's usually a few weeks before I play on hard again where I provide the balls so I'd have to replace them by then anyway.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

claycourt balls have 1 layer of felt, lighter, softer, ive notised women/kids leagues like using these on hardcourts
hardcourt balls have 2 layers of felt, heavier, more durable
clay court balls bounce too much on hardcourts..

as for the complain in your scenario,, if you provided the balls, use what you want;
if someone has anything to say,, they can provide the new balls "."
league play however, has its own set of rules "."

 

[EddieBrock]

claycourt balls have 1 layer of felt, lighter, softer, ive notised women/kids leagues like using these on hardcourts
hardcourt balls have 2 layers of felt, heavier, more durable
clay court balls bounce too much on hardcourts..

as for the complain in your scenario,, if you provided the balls, use what you want;
if someone has anything to say,, they can provide the new balls "."
league play however, has its own set of rules "."

What do you mean league play has its own set of rules? The captain of my team just said to bring new balls during our home matches. Do the league rules specify using hard court balls on hard courts?

 

[tennis347]

It speeds up the game and clay balls are lighter. They are also better for arm health!! I much rather play with a lighter ball! Just my 2 cents!

 

[am1899]

In my last league match the guy I was playing with complained about it.

To me there’s a noticeable difference in weight between regular and extra duty balls. If I was your opponent, I would not have been happy, either. Matter of fact I might have insisted upon opening another can - even if I had to provide them.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

What do you mean league play has its own set of rules? The captain of my team just said to bring new balls during our home matches. Do the league rules specify using hard court balls on hard courts?

yes, every league has/should-have its own guidelines for the ball used
the leagues in my area do,,
the captain/organizer of the league should have a copy of the guidelines
i was a captain for a while and had to read them,,
they cover balls being used (for the appropriate court surface), and water availability for the visiting team
again it could be different in your area, soo youll need to review the rules for yours..

 

[1HBHfanatic]

To me there’s a noticeable difference in weight between regular and extra duty balls. If I was your opponent, I would not have been happy, either. Matter of fact I might have insisted upon opening another can - even if I had to provide them.

agree here
a few times the opponent was providing balls and he asked our doubles group before he opened, if we minded playing with "soft balls" (clay court balls), he said thats what he had,
we all discussed and ended up using hardcourt balls i brought with me, no big issue; courtesy and agreement settled that conundrum.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

claycourt balls have 1 layer of felt, lighter, softer, ive notised women/kids leagues like using these on hardcourts
hardcourt balls have 2 layers of felt, heavier, more durable
clay court balls bounce too much on hardcourts..

as for the complain in your scenario,, if you provided the balls, use what you want;
if someone has anything to say,, they can provide the new balls "."
league play however, has its own set of rules "."

"It's a league game, Smokey."

 

[1HBHfanatic]

@Big_Dangerous
damm right,, rules are rules;
mark it ZERO mann. haaa

 

[Robert F]

If the league doesn't have clear rules about what type of balls to use, then in all fairness he should have just dealt with it.

Funny how people can complain about balls/equipment. But you have to use the same ball too.
Sure a lighter ball might play faster and bounce higher on hard courts. OK, so what if you played someone who was much better than you who could hit the ball faster and with more spin=faster play and higher bouncing balls. Would you tell him/her you are used to people who hit with less spin, so please stop that?

On top of that, with hard court balls there is plenty of variety and in some cases I think I'd prefer soft court balls to hard courts balls of certain brads. They typical Penn Costco ball comes to mind. I'd rather play with Wilson US Open regular duty, Pro Penn Marathon Regular Duty, almost any Dunlop then the Penn Hardcourt ball. But plenty of guys use them because those are cheaper balls. Do I turn away, or do I figure, I have to be up for the challenge at hand.

 

[stapletonj]

been playing umpteeump years. just learned a year ago at the Cincy tournament that WTA uses clay court balls (regular felt) at all hard court tournaments.....
men use extra duty felt.

clay ball fluffs up very quickly on hard court, slowing it down more quickly on hard hit balls (as well as checking up as opposed to skidding through somewhat). Then are lighter, so bounce a little higher

 

[1HBHfanatic]

been playing umpteeump years. just learned a year ago at the Cincy tournament that WTA uses clay court balls (regular felt) at all hard court tournaments.....
men use extra duty felt.

clay ball fluffs up very quickly on hard court, slowing it down more quickly on hard hit balls (as well as checking up as opposed to skidding through somewhat). Then are lighter, so bounce a little higher

recent incident at the pro level
during the miami open finals doubles match,, brian brothers vs tsitsipas/??? match,,
they stopped play because one of the brian bothers who was about to serve, notised one of the ladys balls got mixed in with the mens,,
tv camera zoomed in on it, ball they turned in to the umpire was red penn-atp, while the mens are all black penn-atp..

 

[Robert F]

It is very common for men and women to play with different balls at the tournaments.
I wonder what the exact reasoning behind it is.