Dunlop becomes new official balls partner at AO
- Thread starter anteksoszy
- Start date
https://ausopen.com/articles/news/dunlop-becomes-official-ao-ball-partner
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
And why is that?
OldschoolKIaus
Hall of Fame
Please make them fast as hell!
Tennis_Hands
Banned
joekapa
Legend
namely because I have played with both balls, and thing that AO Wilson were some of the best balls out there.
Dunlop, apart from Fort, are not that good.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
You have already played with the Dunlop Australian Open ball?
Say Chi Sin Lo
G.O.A.T.
I sure hope it's not rebranded Dunlop Grand Prix balls, cause those are rocks.
I disagree the Wilson balls are light the Dunlops tend to have a heavier feel I like that feel better
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
they always liked hard and heavy balls there for some reason. is it cause it is so hot there, they need slow balls to offset the fast conditions ?
Sambuccashake
Hall of Fame
Aren't they all made in the same factory in Thailand?
pabletion
Hall of Fame
Grand Prix used to be awesome, were probably my fav balls about 10 yrs ago. Tried them again about 2 yrs ago and were completely different, terrible.
Nevertheless Im sure Dunlop has the capacity to manufacture top-tier balls, maybe they just lowered costs at the expense of quality for thw consumer.
AO Dunlops surely will be a different new ball anyways.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
Not so sure about that. I will only believe it when I see it. Company like that don't often change the fundamentals of ball making.
Kaznkul
Rookie
Just saw this thread. I live in Australia. Funnily enough our sports stores have had the Wilson AO balls on sale for a while now. Maybe they’re trying to run them out before new balls for AO get announced? Since they’ve been on sale I’ve bought a fair few cans, pretty good value and I’ve always liked the Wilson AO balls anyway.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Manute Bol
New User
Please let us know when the Dunlop AO are on store shelf’s in Australia, I’m curious to know how they will play.
Kaznkul
Rookie
I spoke to my sons coach and he said his rep from Dunlop emailed him to inform him that Dunlop have won the contract to supply The AO. Also he told me that Dunlop are essentially a slazenger ball.
Kaznkul
Rookie
Not sure. I play on a lot on synthetic grass and mostly use Wilson AO and slazenger Wimbledon balls
stephenclown
Professional
Slazenger were the best balls in Australia for a long time for use on hard courts. They went downhill after a bit from what I hear but at their peak they were great. They came off faster and feel great at the net.
I use the Aus Open ball almost exclusively at the Qld tennis centre and they are okay but nowhere near the best longevity or feel. They barely last 1 session and by the next they are flat. So overall im pretty glad to get rid of this Aus open ball.
On another note, Diadora made amazing balls for clay but couldnt find them after I moved away from Melbourne. My club used them and they were high quality and lasted ages at top performance. Also nice and soft with great bounce.
Keendog
Professional
Dunlop is Slazenger who supply Wimbledon and used to supply the AO until maybe last 6 years or so. Back then they were by far the best, fast out of can, would fluff up and slow down a lot but still have good bounce for days so all the old fellas would like them. They have gotten worse of late, I've noticed hydroguard on their cans and I think this is just marketing for swapping wool for polyester in the felt. Wilson AO I find slow down very quickly out of can and the fluff leaves the ball completely so they become light and uncontrollable especially on a hardcourt. I think this was by design as they think people think balls are dead when the writing rubs off even though they are fine, so I think they purposefully made non-fluff balls. My 2c
haqq777
Legend
I was wondering the same. In the past could have been conflict of interest because RS was Tournament Director but he has since stepped down. Should be easy now.
am1899
Legend
A couple years back I was warming up in a USTA match with Grand Prix balls and one of my opponents exclaimed, “These are really comfortable balls!” I almost fell over laughing. Maybe you’d have to have been there...
rafa_prestige89
Professional
For me the Slazengers Wimbledon balls are the heaviest/slowest ones out there...they get really fluffy after some time, excellent for hard hitters, almost every shot goes in
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
do you guys have the pictures of Dunlop balls for the Aussie open 2019 ?
haqq777
Legend
Thanks!For me the Slazengers Wimbledon balls are the heaviest/slowest ones out there...they get really fluffy after some time, excellent for hard hitters, almost every shot goes in
I thought the Swedish Open did use the RS ball. Think they were also used in Memphis, where Stevie Johnson was very vocally critical of the ball.
Or are you just trying to make a funny w/ the double entendre? lol
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Doppelganger
Rookie
That's awesome. Dunlop makes a fantastic tennis ball, and I've been using the Championship Hard Court for years. Where I'm living, they offer the best bang for the buck imo. They're about the same price as the cheaper Wilson's and Penn's but last longer and don't feel as cheap.
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Du..._Balls_24_Can_Case/descpageDUNLOP-DCHTBC.html
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Du..._Balls_24_Can_Case/descpageDUNLOP-DCHTBC.html
Will it be ok for grasscourts?
PMChambers
Hall of Fame
Good news if my club uses them instead of Wilson AO. Wilson bearly last a set and sometimes little flat out the can.
Thing is the "real" AO balls aren't too bad. They have thicker felt more like carpet and don't fluff as much unless they've changed them recently. Anyway Slaz and Dun historically been best HC balls in my opinion..
Slaz best grass ball as well.
Thing is the "real" AO balls aren't too bad. They have thicker felt more like carpet and don't fluff as much unless they've changed them recently. Anyway Slaz and Dun historically been best HC balls in my opinion..
Slaz best grass ball as well.
Manute Bol
New User
They are out somewhere, this is from Instagram.
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stephenclown
Professional
Already played with them, much better than Wilsons but the official told me that they have had some issues with the initial manufacturing although he didnt elaborate. Pressure and longevity much better and maintain bounce even when they are bare. Reminds me of the older Slazengers that were here a decade or so ago before they moved their plant, similar wear and faster.
Played with factory firsts though compared to the factory 2nd/3rds that us normal people will get. Club I play should have the seconds for the Wilson Aus Open balls and even then they are quite terrible... Wilson directly sponsor them so they get higher quality than most retail but still not the highest level.
They might stamp them for the official launch but the first ones I played with didnt have the AO branding.
Played with factory firsts though compared to the factory 2nd/3rds that us normal people will get. Club I play should have the seconds for the Wilson Aus Open balls and even then they are quite terrible... Wilson directly sponsor them so they get higher quality than most retail but still not the highest level.
They might stamp them for the official launch but the first ones I played with didnt have the AO branding.
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ricki
Hall of Fame
Really they all are manufacturing it same way in OEM factories somewhere in SE asia...
stephenclown
Professional
Yes wilson are terrible. Never used wilson in melbourne because they were the worst available, every club tried to stay away from them. 1 set and they become pretty useless and die fast in coaching as well. Moved to Brisbane and its all they use, I hope they change quickly with the AO but they are sponsored by wilson.
Slazenger, dunlop and head make balls with better longevity but head must line their rubber with rocks.
Same manufacturing plant doesnt really matter, all those cheaper ball lines probably come from the same plant as well and most are terrible. Same issue with racquets, you can get some killer frames out of China like Wilson pro stock, HEAD prostock, Angell etc. And on the flipside you have Wilson QC, Babolat hollow and anything recent from HEAD. The issue is with the R&D, cheaping out in materials and screwing over customers to sell more balls.
They could probably make something that lasts 3 times as long but why would they?
Slazenger Wimbledon balls are different then Elites, Elites are a bit heavier and they are usually very durable but with less comfort comparing to Wimbledons
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Dunlop Fort balls are fantastic IMO and the Fort Clay's are the best clay balls by far. I imagine Dunlop can make a nice hard court ball. They are a premium rubber manufacturer after all.
Doppelganger
Rookie
This is good news! I have been using Dunlop balls for years now and love their "Championship Hard Court" tennis balls in particular. For your money, I don't think you can get a better quality ball at that price point.
stephenclown
Professional
The balls that the pro circuit were using are extremely good. They have lasted about two months and maintain most of their pressure and performance. They just spin less due to no fluff left. It has been years since I used a ball that was actually decent and could use until it is bare.
Diadora made balls?
Keendog
Professional
They still do and racquets but not available retail as far as I can tell
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