I was playing a playoff match in a local league that I am in, and I was playing just horrible making UFEs all over the court and getting killed. Down 1-6 0-2, I was so angry about it that I just reared back and let loose on a first serve. It was out, but after the point, the other guy was like "man, I thnk you broke the ball on that one". Sure enough, the ball I hit on the first serve was now completely flat. It was little consolation, though. I came back to at least take the 2nd set to a tiebreaker, but I could not pull it out.
So I broke a ball yesterday.
- Thread starter J_R_B
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woodrow1029
Guest
If you broke the ball, the rule is that you replay the point.
Well, the serve was out, and we didn't realize the ball was broken until I had successfully double faulted with a good ball. I don't think a replay should be warranted in that situation, but whatever, maybe so. I don't think it affected the final score, however. Or maybe it did. Instead of playing with two balls, we opened a new can, and I immediately got my break back and made the second set competitive.
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woodrow1029
Guest
Oh, I thought that you realized it right after that serve.
If you hit the second serve before realizing it was broken, then it's too late.
If you hit the second serve before realizing it was broken, then it's too late.
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woodrow1029
Guest
Always good for amusement you are..
Ain't about how hard you serve, it's about how bad the quality control of the ball manufacturer's production technique happens to be at the time the ball was made.
Older times, like 30 years ago, Wilson's broke all the time.
Nobody breaks Slazenger balls, and no Tretorns break with just hitting.
In my limited experience, Penn balls are pretty good.
Dunlops are the best.....except Slazenger's, a sister company.
Older times, like 30 years ago, Wilson's broke all the time.
Nobody breaks Slazenger balls, and no Tretorns break with just hitting.
In my limited experience, Penn balls are pretty good.
Dunlops are the best.....except Slazenger's, a sister company.
Slazenger07
Banned
Slazenger makes the best tennis balls, I love the way their 'Wimbledon' balls play.
This ball was a Penn Championship ball. And, of course, the primary reason is that the ball had to be defective, but whatever, given how angry I was at the time, it was somewhat satisfying.
dizzlmcwizzl
Hall of Fame
Here here ..... i love the slazenger balls... i like their bounce.
I once split the cover on a golf ball. Which is unusual because relative to the average player I hit much harder in tennis than in golf.
ProgressoR
Hall of Fame
you all ROCK. I have never ever broken a ball. I have broken several ping pong balls but that is hardly worthy of acclaim.
*breaksracquet
Semi-Pro
I broke a ball just recently on a first serve playing doubles. I blamed it on a bad batch of balls and threw it out. The other three swore that I really just hit the pi$$ out of the ball. Let me know when you break a net cord Taylor Dent Style. 
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mtommer
Hall of Fame
Not necessarily. The ball was playing just fine before wasn't it? At any rate, breaking balls is still a small thrill. I say don't let anyone crush your accomplishment.
mtommer
Hall of Fame
The first couple of times you break one, yeah, you do in fact rock. After awhile of breaking them however it's nothing big. It's like hitting serves through the fence. It's impressive the first few times and then the more you do it the more you just get used to it and it becomes no big deal. Still, the first few times....AWESOME!!!!
Dreamcastin
Rookie
I broke a ball just recently on a first serve. I blamed it on a bad batch of balls and threw it out. The other three swore that I really just hit the pi$$ out of the ball. Let me know when you break a net cord Taylor Dent Style.
ive actually done that 3 times. never broke a ball though.
Datacipher
Banned
Yep. Exactly. Actually it starts to become an annoyance. I HATE the chainlink fences with slightly larger links, where every third serve goes through the fence for me. After hitting 30 practice serves, I then have to gout and walk around in the grass/parking lot/whatever retrieving 10 balls.
I think the funniest time was about 10 years ago for me....I was playing with another guy who was a huge winner...we used to go at it like Courier/Agassi and play wild tennis just trying to knock the other guy off the court. He was also having a severe shanking problem at the time. He shanked TWO balls over a fence outside the courts...and one so far out past a parking lot, and out onto a street, that we lost sight of it rolling away down the street at about 300 feet AND we broke the other three balls. Tennis was over for the day. Funny and annoying.
ProgressoR
Hall of Fame
wait wait wait
serves - - THROUGH the fence??
I get them stuck in the fence sometimes, but really you mean through the fence? is the fence defective?
mtommer
Hall of Fame
Yes, right through the fence and your reaction highlights why when someone does it (or sees it happen) it's impressive at first. And it is at first. It's something you just don't see everyday. However, with a little understanding of fences it can potentially become a "reality check" for the one hitting the ball through the fence. Sometimes the chainlink fence holes are bigger than one usually finds, plastic coated or something, and it's easy to hit balls through the fence. It also doesn't take a 120 mph serve to do it. On the "easy" fences you don't even have to break high 80's/90's ish which means you still have to smack the ball a bit but getting a ball through every once in a great while is achievable by more players than one might realize.
Here's an example at about 0:17 of when I hit a ball through a regular (ie not "easy") fence.
http://www.vimeo.com/5055597
Now, let me preface this with a the following disclaimer: Anyone who thinks this is mtommer "bragging", 1. If I were bragging I could put together a video edit of balls that "go through" far more impressively. 2. Look at my serve - you really think I would brag with a motion like that?
So why post the link then? To point out that putting a ball through the fence is impressive to the untrained eye. Once you start delving deeper you realize that a player with bad form, surely not the hardest server ever, etc. just "achieved" something that doesn't fit with their displayed abilities, which means (as with most things in life) the achievement is most likely not really that big of an achievement except on a personal level for the achiever. The same goes for busting a ball. The OP achieved something cool and to that end, nice job. If the OP were to come on (which he isn't or did not do at all) and start lording his achievement then he'd get a quick reality check. And so, the little moments of childlike glee often makes tennis fun and keeps us coming back for more and there's nothing wrong with displaying that glee for bit.
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RoddickAce
Hall of Fame
Agreed, but it intimidates some opponents when you break the ball during a match, like the OP.
mtommer
Hall of Fame
Agreed, but it intimidates some opponents when you break the ball during a match, like the OP.
Hmmmm, maybe "pre-cut" a few practice balls to warm-up with? :twisted:
Datacipher
Banned
Yes, right through the fence and your reaction highlights why when someone does it (or sees it happen) it's impressive at first. And it is at first. It's something you just don't see everyday. However, with a little understanding of fences it can potentially become a "reality check" for the one hitting the ball through the fence. Sometimes the chainlink fence holes are bigger than one usually finds, plastic coated or something, and it's easy to hit balls through the fence. It also doesn't take a 120 mph serve to do it. On the "easy" fences you don't even have to break high 80's/90's ish which means you still have to smack the ball a bit but getting a ball through every once in a great while is achievable by more players than one might realize.
Exactly what I was going to say....it really doesn't have to be "that" fast...I was going to say, if you can hit 100mph regularly, you will see this happen frequently on some fences. Of course...most people aren't near "only" 100mph....
Agreed, but it intimidates some opponents when you break the ball during a match, like the OP.
The intimidation factor was completely lost when I spun a fluffball second into the net before discovering that the first ball was broken.
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