Best Tennis Ball Brand

What is the best tennis ball? Please note specific type of ball in the comments (Penn Championship)

  • Penn/Head

    Votes: 22 10.6%
  • Wilson

    Votes: 64 30.9%
  • Dunlop

    Votes: 69 33.3%
  • Babolat

    Votes: 11 5.3%
  • Yonex

    Votes: 5 2.4%
  • Tecnifibre

    Votes: 20 9.7%
  • Gamma

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Slazenger

    Votes: 6 2.9%
  • Diadem

    Votes: 9 4.3%

  • Total voters
    207

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
To my knowledge no leage in the Washington DC area provides balls. i hope I'm wrong. The home team provides balls in our leagues.
BITD our USTA district provided balls to every club, private or public. However, they discovered Costco tennis balls were cheaper than any other source and bought the balls there. Those were Extra-Duty balls and nearly every private club needed Regular-Duty balls. We are handed Xtra-Duty balls and brought regular-duty balls or asked to swap at the Pro shop. This may be just a USTA problem.
 

PRS

Professional
Our USTA district definitely doesn't provide balls. Our city's tennis association will, but only if everyone on your team is a member, which has not been my experience thus far.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Our USTA district definitely doesn't provide balls. Our city's tennis association will, but only if everyone on your team is a member, which has not been my experience thus far.
Our USTA District always provided at least a case of Penn Extra-Duty balls. Our dilemma, nearly every private club has Har-tru courts.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
Seems like a punishment.
For the clubs. We traded those Xtra-Duty balls for Regular Duty. Guess the clubs used those Costco balls for junior camp or the ball machines. If stuck with those Xtra-Duty balls I would save them for the fall. Open the can and either Nuke them in a Microwave or wrap them in a hot towel then stuff the balls in a cooler to keep them warm. Break them out trey at a time till they lose their bounce. Need to remember to tell everyone not to leave their balls on the ground.
 

Westerwick

Rookie
For the clubs. We traded those Xtra-Duty balls for Regular Duty. Guess the clubs used those Costco balls for junior camp or the ball machines. If stuck with those Xtra-Duty balls I would save them for the fall. Open the can and either Nuke them in a Microwave or wrap them in a hot towel then stuff the balls in a cooler to keep them warm. Break them out trey at a time till they lose their bounce. Need to remember to tell everyone not to leave their balls on the ground.
Seems like a lot of work for something that should be given out as dog toys from the start. At our tennis mixers I've sometimes broken out cans of used Babolat or Diadem balls that are several days old and played a half dozen sets and shown that they work better than brand new Penns.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I've been a big fan of the Dunlop ATP Championship Ball. It has been the best "championship"/lower tier ball on the market edging out Wilson Championship and crushing the Penn Championship by a mile. So I thought I'd try Dunlops premium line and grabbed a case of the Dunlop ATP Tour XD Ball.

It's a decent ball. Bounces well and has a good weight, but I've never had a ball fluff up so easily. Most of the folks I play with have no comment on the balls. But a few people commented on how much they fluffed up. One looked like a dog took a riff at it. We played doubles for just 2 hours and the ball looked hammered. It still had good bounce, but if you are fluff sensitive this might not be the ball for you. The Championship ball has much less fluff.
 

Ronaldo

Bionic Poster
I've been a big fan of the Dunlop ATP Championship Ball. It has been the best "championship"/lower tier ball on the market edging out Wilson Championship and crushing the Penn Championship by a mile. So I thought I'd try Dunlops premium line and grabbed a case of the Dunlop ATP Tour XD Ball.

It's a decent ball. Bounces well and has a good weight, but I've never had a ball fluff up so easily. Most of the folks I play with have no comment on the balls. But a few people commented on how much they fluffed up. One looked like a dog took a riff at it. We played doubles for just 2 hours and the ball looked hammered. It still had good bounce, but if you are fluff sensitive this might not be the ball for you. The Championship ball has much less fluff.
Lint Buster to the rescue,
0019599535318
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I've been a big fan of the Dunlop ATP Championship Ball. It has been the best "championship"/lower tier ball on the market edging out Wilson Championship and crushing the Penn Championship by a mile. So I thought I'd try Dunlops premium line and grabbed a case of the Dunlop ATP Tour XD Ball.

It's a decent ball. Bounces well and has a good weight, but I've never had a ball fluff up so easily. Most of the folks I play with have no comment on the balls. But a few people commented on how much they fluffed up. One looked like a dog took a riff at it. We played doubles for just 2 hours and the ball looked hammered. It still had good bounce, but if you are fluff sensitive this might not be the ball for you. The Championship ball has much less fluff.
Generally 4.0+ players like it when someone opens a can of premium balls like ProPenn, Penn Tour, Wilson US Open, Tecnifibre X1 etc. as they bounce higher and last longer especially if it is Extra Duty for hard courts. The exception I’ve noticed is when someone opens premium Dunlop balls like their AO or ATP Tour version in the last 3-4 years as they fluff up too much and ‘feel’ heavier/slower in the opinions of many players - some even complain that their arms get sore. You hear these complaints from pro players also at some tournaments.
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
I felt they bounced fine and hit with a nice firm feeling. Just after a set they looked really beat up and we aren't cranking the balls like the pros.
Even after 3 sets, they still bounce pretty good.
 

jangotango

Semi-Pro
Currently in Milan, IT and playing as much clay as possible. Stopped by into a Decathlon to try the Comfort Pro balls, especially since they are much cheaper per can.

Favorite balls EVER, especially given the price. Don’t sleep.
 

LOBALOT

Legend
I still think we kill this thread and start a new one. The quality of the balls have changed so much since COVID.

I don't know how we do that but we keep posting on this thread with info that is outdated so it is so hard to get a current perspective.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I still think we kill this thread and start a new one. The quality of the balls have changed so much since COVID.

I don't know how we do that but we keep posting on this thread with info that is outdated so it is so hard to get a current perspective.
Feel free, but doesn't posting offer new info?

My favorite ball remains Penn Pro Marathon.
Best budget ball remains Dunlop Champion.

Penn Tour a good alternative.
For cheap balls Wilson Champion ok.
Wilson US Opens just aren't worth the price. Start out crisp, but drop and lose felt quickly.

A lot of clubs by us have switched from Wilson US Opens and have gone to Dunlop Grand Prix. Seem to last longer for hoppers etc.
 

LOBALOT

Legend
Feel free, but doesn't posting offer new info?

My favorite ball remains Penn Pro Marathon.
Best budget ball remains Dunlop Champion.

Penn Tour a good alternative.
For cheap balls Wilson Champion ok.
Wilson US Opens just aren't worth the price. Start out crisp, but drop and lose felt quickly.

A lot of clubs by us have switched from Wilson US Opens and have gone to Dunlop Grand Prix. Seem to last longer for hoppers etc.
But there is a vote up above and I suspect many of us would change our vote from a few years ago so if someone is looking at the data they would be looking at data in the vote that includes information from years ago that no longer is valid.
 

1hander

Rookie
I recently ordered a case of Tecnifibre X-one balls. They are alright. I found them to get super fluffy and hard to get spin on them. But, they feel good and are good for baskets. I still think Grand Prix and USO balls are superior for matches.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
Anyone know the concept behind the Dunlop Grand Prix ball? Is it supposed to be superior to the ATP Ball? Seems better than their Championship ball.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
Dunball doesn't produce a bad ball. Even the championship or the club balls are high quality.
Agree, just trying to sort out which is the best ball for the price.
ATP tours are pretty nice but fluff up pretty easy. I almost prefer the Championship ball.
I'm wondering if the Grand Prix is the sweet spot between the two of them?
 

1hander

Rookie
Agree, just trying to sort out which is the best ball for the price.
ATP tours are pretty nice but fluff up pretty easy. I almost prefer the Championship ball.
I'm wondering if the Grand Prix is the sweet spot between the two of them?
Grand Prix is the best Dunlop ball. It is the perfect middle ground of the Dunlop line.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
Damn these Dunlop ATP Tour balls are so fluffy. I've used already 1/2 dozen cans and with in 10 minutes of use these things are so fluffy. Lots of other players say these balls are dead. I explain they aren't dead and show that when dropped they bounce just fine, then have to explain how the fluff slows them down.

Another minus of the ball, is since they fluff so much, they are hard to use over 2 hours. Used a can we played 3 sets of dubs today just to hit with a buddy. We could whack the heck out of them, but sometimes they would go nowhere.

I'm going to give the Grand Prix a try and if fluffly will go back to the Dunlop Championships.
 

CostarreraGT

New User
This thread should be split into regions, due to balls (both availability and in some cases the actual ball you get from the same can) being different per region.

As for Europe and my own preferences:
I'm approximately a 4.0, 4.5 on a good day, I'm middle aged but athletic and my game is an aggressive all court attacking style.

I prefer balls that are fast off the racquet, feel soft on impact, have rich felt that takes spin well, and have a forgiving bounce (ie not too low, not too high, and bonus points if the ball just kinda glides in the air for you to time your shot perfectly.

With that criteria in mind the best I have ever found playability wise, have been :

1: Slazenger Wimbledon. Plays superbly on clay, too. Suffers from weird QC lately (some cans seem to last forever, others not). This remains my gold standard and if they weren't so expensive and hard to come by at a discount, they would be the only thing I play with.

2: Dunlop ATP. Very close to the Slazenger from a playability perspective but a bit harder on impact. Depending on what batch of Slazengers you get, these may last less long as their felt fluffs up faster but their bounce remains longer than the Slazengers.

3: Wilson Tour Premier. Close feeling with the Slazengers, nice soft control oriented ball that takes spin very well and keeps an easy pace in the rallies, but their felt gets utterly pounded after two good competitive sets if both are hitting hard. Bounce stays fresh much longer though.

Other honorable mentions would be Head Tour (feels great, works magic for touch shorts like drop volleys, but somehow I have never gelled with this ball, and I cannot explain why) and Tecnifibre X-one which would be great if it didn't look and feel like it never finishes its meals - I mean this ball is so small in the hand I almost have trouble tossing it to serve.

I find balls like Us open to be "bald" compared to the premium balls I mentioned above, and they bounce too high on our European clay, although they do feel OK. Babolat sells balls too but they are so terrible that I wonder if they are really meant for tennis. And I don't touch balls that are "championship", "team" or "pressure less" as they are trash that can only be used by people playing on a hard court and looking to obliterate their wrists while getting frustrated at not being able to spin the ball easily. Although if I absolutely had to play with a championship ball, it would be the Dunlop ATP Championship and it would only work on a hard court and I would have to accept that it would take away an entire dimension or two of the game (spin & control).
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
If the Head Tour is the US Penn equivalent of the Penn Tour, I agree it seems to have all he right qualities but I still prefer the Pro Penn Marathon and Dunlop balls. And I don't seem to gel well with it either.
Interesting point to factor int he surface.
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
Babolat sells balls too but they are so terrible that I wonder if they are really meant for tennis.
Today my opponent opened a can of Babolat Gold Championship balls and I did not like it at all after playing for many years only with ProPenn XD or Tecnifibre X1 balls. The felt was very thin and didn’t fluff up at all, but it bounced higher than most balls I’m used to - he said there is only one version of this ball and no extra duty XD available. So it flew out easily due to the lack of fluff and also the bounce messed up my footwork a few times as I didn’t expect certain neutral shots to bounce as much as they did.

I found myself abandoning aggressive serves/shots and playing passively to keep the ball in play. It was not enjoyable and for me a worser experience than even the infamous Costco Penn Championship XD balls which I also don’t like. I enjoyed it less than just about every other ball opponents have brought - Penn Tour, Dunlop AO, Dunlop ATP, Wilson USO, Penn Championship, Dunlop Championship etc.

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to opening a can of X1 balls to wipe my memory of the bad experience today. Amazing how much the ball can change your enjoyment of playing and no wonder the pros complain about the inconsistency of different tournaments changing balls all the time.
 
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Robert F

Hall of Fame
You should try the Dunlop ATP Ball. It fluffs up almost instantly. It's the oddest ball I've played with. Plays decent for a set, but then just seems muted and at times seems dead and other times bounce fine.

After I use a can of balls for play/match, I usually like to keep them for a practice or hitting session, maybe two. The Dunlop ATP Ball does not work well in that case. It just loses zip, sometimes big cuts do nothing to the ball, other times, it seems to go but then really lose energy on the bounce. I think this is all the fluff, because when you hand bounce them after a session or two, they are still bouncy.

ProPenn Marathon, Penn Tour, Dunlop Championsship, Dunlop Grand Prix play decent for a match and then are fine for a round or two of hitting/pracitce.

Unfortunately, after I'm done with my case of Dunlop ATPs, I'm moving to Grand Prix, Championship or ProPenns.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
(1) In different countries, balls can come in plastic cans or metal cans. What is the different shelf life of these unopened cans?
(2) No one here likes Wilson Trinity for a relaxed simple practice??
 

onehandbh

G.O.A.T.
(1) In different countries, balls can come in plastic cans or metal cans. What is the different shelf life of these unopened cans?
(2) No one here likes Wilson Trinity for a relaxed simple practice??
I don't mind them for casual hitting but I wonder if they transmit more shock to the arm
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
(1) In different countries, balls can come in plastic cans or metal cans. What is the different shelf life of these unopened cans?
(2) No one here likes Wilson Trinity for a relaxed simple practice??
Tried the Trinity twice when the first came out. Seemed just a little flat to start and not bad, but back then why would a I pay more for a ball that was OK?
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
My first question is .....What is the difference of 12 month shelf life for unopened balls In plastic or metal cans? Two examples 〰️〰️
(1) You still have unopened cans in your closet after one year. (2) You buy new plastic or metal cans of tennis balls in a store, but...
they were in the store's back stock room for a year. Can both plastic or metal keep a fresh bounce? In Europe they use a lot of metal cans.
(This question is not about Trinity or pressureless balls.)
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I don’t think it matters if it is a metal or plastic can, but the chance of the balls staying pressurized for longer depends on the quality of the sealing process to make it airtight and keep the pressure inside. In the last few years since the pandemic, it seems that this packaging quality has come down significantly and so cans stay pressurized for shorter with always the chance of finding a few low-pressure unusable cans in a case.
 
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What's your favorite tennis ball brand and then ball type of that brand? And why?

For me my favorite ball is the Penn Pro Marathon. For higher end balls it is tough to beat. Plays lively, doesn't fluff up to much and lasts long.
Pt stay away from Penn Championships--highly unreliable from can to can.

My favorite ball for lower end balls is the Dunlop ATP--just a solid ball. Comes out of the can great. Good durability.

As a brand, I also give props to Wilson--US Open is a solid ball and for a cheap ball the Wilson Championships get the job done.
Thanks for posting. Very relevant for me at the moment as I'm about to buy a case for my winter tennis (indoor medium fast hard courts - green set). I'm a 47 year old male tennis player (EU equivalent of 5.0+) training regularly with promising juniors. This past weekend played the best tennis of my life on indoor courts and was using Technifibre Court. I hadn't heard of this ball at all but after 4 hours of play it's still going very strong. It has excellent playability, feel and most importantly makes the court feel like medium pace so rallies can take place (I personally hate fast surfaces or conditions where the point ends in less than 5 shots). In a nutshell: this was a rare find and a very pleasant surprise particularly as I have had tennis elbow in the past and it can sometimes flare up when using harder balls. This was a dream ( note: there is a 15 minute break in period where the balls seem to have a low bounce but after that they really play like a dream).

I'm also going to be testing out the Technifibre Club and compare the two. For hard courts used to use Dunlop AO but their longevity of late has gone down the drain and they play too fast. According to "Tennis Guy" the Technifibre X1 are considered to be the best balls on the market but have a 40 minute break in period where they are initially superfast and hard and then they play very well. As my winter tennis is often 75 min max per session that's a non starter right off the bat!
Will update this reply once I've also tried the Technifibre Club. I'll be also playing my 5th hour with the Technifibre Court on Friday so will hopefully have an update early next week:)
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
Thanks for posting. Very relevant for me at the moment as I'm about to buy a case for my winter tennis (indoor medium fast hard courts - green set). I'm a 47 year old male tennis player (EU equivalent of 5.0+) training regularly with promising juniors. This past weekend played the best tennis of my life on indoor courts and was using Technifibre Court. I hadn't heard of this ball at all but after 4 hours of play it's still going very strong. It has excellent playability, feel and most importantly makes the court feel like medium pace so rallies can take place (I personally hate fast surfaces or conditions where the point ends in less than 5 shots). In a nutshell: this was a rare find and a very pleasant surprise particularly as I have had tennis elbow in the past and it can sometimes flare up when using harder balls. This was a dream ( note: there is a 15 minute break in period where the balls seem to have a low bounce but after that they really play like a dream).

I'm also going to be testing out the Technifibre Club and compare the two. For hard courts used to use Dunlop AO but their longevity of late has gone down the drain and they play too fast. According to "Tennis Guy" the Technifibre X1 are considered to be the best balls on the market but have a 40 minute break in period where they are initially superfast and hard and then they play very well. As my winter tennis is often 75 min max per session that's a non starter right off the bat!
Will update this reply once I've also tried the Technifibre Club. I'll be also playing my 5th hour with the Technifibre Court on Friday so will hopefully have an update early next week:)
The TF Club ball is a slightly better ball than the TF Court which is a very good ball for the price. I have gone through 2 cases of the TF X1 ball and I do not feel there is a break in period. They play fine from the time I crack open the 4 ball can to the end of the session. I recommend you try them yourself rather than solely relying on a review by someone else.

Do not try any Penn balls. Prior to the pandemic, ProPenn and Penn Tour balls were very good. Since the pandemic, all Penn balls SUCK balls. Wilson US Open balls since the pandemic are not nearly as durable anymore. The felt is completely gone after ~45 mins of play. Dunlop Grand Prix balls are good. Slightly better IMO than the TF Court ball. The best ball I have used currently is the X1. The Head Tour XT balls I purchased before the pandemic are also one of the best. I haven't purchased any since the pandemic so I don't know if they're still any good.
 

Robert F

Hall of Fame
I still think ProPenns have the magic even post pandemic.
Yeah, Wilson US Opens are balding faster than Jean Luc Picard.
 
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