Tennis ball 2025

P

pub

New User
What is going on with the quality of the balls....please help me out to choose one only if you have really used it.
I live in Illinois and orders balls from Tennis train and Hola flying animal.

- Babolat Championship Gold Tennis Ball Case ($94), (red Gold text on the case)
This was my go to ball for the past couple of years. Ordered it January 2025, I noticed significant drop in its size and amount of felt.
Ball is much smaller and much less felt. Durability also reduced.
This ball from 2021-2024, the ball was much better.

- Babolat Gold All Court Tennis Ball Case ($105), (blue/cyan Gold text on the case)
This was purchased September 2024 for the first time expecting it to be better than the 'Babolat Championship Gold Tennis Ball', but it was not better despite more pricey.
Ball is small and not much felt. Durability is mediocre.

- Costco Penn
Heavy compared to other tennis balls. (worried of injury)

I am thinking of trying the below. (I like balls with tons of felt)
US Open Extra Duty Tennis Ball ($109)
US Open Regular Duty Ball ($109)
Dunlop ATP Extra Duty Tennis Ball ($99)
Dunlop ATP Regular Duty Tennis Ball ($99)

My friend had Dunlop ATP Regular Duty (red number on the ball) and was AWESOME two years ago.
I just don't know if I can trust it now as it seems the balls have significantly downgraded.

Thank you very much in advance and please share any thoughts if you have used recently purchased a ball you would recomment or not recommend.
 
I used to be okay with Costco penn balls a long time ago. (championship balls)
I agree the quality of balls has gone down, as well as a lot of retail goods these days. 'planned obsolescence'
In this case, likely cost savings in order to increase profits, or to offset an increase in costs.

I buy propenns 'marathons' now.
Wilson US open are inconsistent and very hard.
 
pub said:
What is going on with the quality of the balls....please help me out to choose one only if you have really used it.
I live in Illinois and orders balls from Tennis train and Hola flying animal.

- Babolat Championship Gold Tennis Ball Case ($94), (red Gold text on the case)
This was my go to ball for the past couple of years. Ordered it January 2025, I noticed significant drop in its size and amount of felt.
Ball is much smaller and much less felt. Durability also reduced.
This ball from 2021-2024, the ball was much better.

- Babolat Gold All Court Tennis Ball Case ($105), (blue/cyan Gold text on the case)
This was purchased September 2024 for the first time expecting it to be better than the 'Babolat Championship Gold Tennis Ball', but it was not better despite more pricey.
Ball is small and not much felt. Durability is mediocre.

- Costco Penn
Heavy compared to other tennis balls. (worried of injury)

I am thinking of trying the below. (I like balls with tons of felt)
US Open Extra Duty Tennis Ball ($109)
US Open Regular Duty Ball ($109)
Dunlop ATP Extra Duty Tennis Ball ($99)
Dunlop ATP Regular Duty Tennis Ball ($99)

My friend had Dunlop ATP Regular Duty (red number on the ball) and was AWESOME two years ago.
I just don't know if I can trust it now as it seems the balls have significantly downgraded.

Thank you very much in advance and please share any thoughts if you have used recently purchased a ball you would recomment or not recommend.
Click to expand...
The US open balls are great, very consistent and perform better than the Dunlop ball (feels heavier). Sleeper pick would be the Technifiber court and X one balls. I got a case and was shocked at how great they are.

Costco Penn are like buying noodle golf balls. You know what you are getting and it isn't a Pro V1.
 
ichaseballs said:
I used to be okay with Costco penn balls a long time ago. (championship balls)
I agree the quality of balls has gone down, as well as a lot of retail goods these days. 'planned obsolescence'
In this case, likely cost savings in order to increase profits, or to offset an increase in costs.

I buy propenns 'marathons' now.
Wilson US open are inconsistent and very hard.
Click to expand...
Do you buy ProPenn Marathon...... Extra or Regular duty?
Thank you so much for the recommendation. I will try it.
 
pub said:
Costco Penn
Heavy compared to other tennis balls. (worried of injury)
Click to expand...
Most players would consider the Penn Championship (aka Costco Penn) ball lightweight and so if you think they are heavy, I think it is hard to make recommendations to you as almost every other Championship or premium ball will feel slower/heavier. Whether you buy Regular Duty or Extra Duty should depend on whether you play on clay/grass or hard courts. xD fluffs up more and lasts longer on hard courts while feeling slower. rD has less fluff and picks up less dirt on clay/grass which is what it is meant for - they will feel lighter/faster.
 
socallefty said:
Most players would consider the Penn Championship (aka Costco Penn) ball lightweight and so if you think they are heavy, I think it is hard to make recommendations to you as almost every other Championship or premium ball will feel slower/heavier. Whether you buy Regular Duty or Extra Duty should depend on whether you play on clay/grass or hard courts. xD fluffs up more and lasts longer on hard courts while feeling slower. rD has less fluff and picks up less dirt on clay/grass which is what it is meant for - they will feel lighter/faster.
Click to expand...
Two weeks ago (December 2024) , playing doubles, all four of us noticed that the Costco Penn was harder/heavy compared to US Open XD and Babolat Gold All Court.
I did use the Costco ball a lot, 4-5 years ago, and at the time did not notice the hard/heavy character compared to others.
Could the balls have changed? Just like the drastic downgrade of Babolat balls, and many others?
 
stapletonj said:
Last time I could get them I got a case of Diadems. They are not bad, pretty durable, and CHEAP!
Click to expand...
chatted with the diadem reps at a tennis conf... basically they are us open balls (same factory supposedly)
i like'm too
guessing cost is due to pushing out a new product... they are giving high schools deals per case for example (that said they are a premium ball, so while they are good for tournaments, i'd go the cheap bulk lower qual ball or even beg clubs for their old balls, which is my preference :P)
 
@pub whatever brand you go with, yoiu need to ocmpare their "premium" lines...
every brand has a "premium" or "tournament" quality,
and a low "practice" quality...
IMO all big box stores are "practice" quality... (eg. fill a basket with 400 balls and use them for beginner/intermediate lessons for the season....

that said, playing different quality balls can promote different play styles as well...
eg. flat ballers and slicers want low bounce balls
eg. bunters prefer dead balls, preferably 1y+ or older
eg. topspinners like lively high bouncing balls.
eg. baseliners like heavy felt
eg. slicers and s&v'ers like lively, low bounce, less felt?
etc...
 
stapletonj said:
Last time I could get them I got a case of Diadems. They are not bad, pretty durable, and CHEAP!
Click to expand...
At Diadem website, 1/15/2025, Diadem Premier Extra Duty - Case
Regular price$109.95

Did you buy it from somewhere else? $109 feels like regular price for a decent 24 case of balls.
I am going to buy this and give it a try. I play indoors in IL, hard court.
 
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nyta2 said:
eg. topspinners like lively high bouncing balls.
eg. baseliners like heavy felt
eg. slicers and s&v'ers like lively, low bounce, less felt?
Click to expand...
I play power baseline tennis with heavy spin mostly in singles and come to the net quickly in doubles. I like the same balls for both versions of the sport - premium XD balls for hard courts that have heavy felt and take spin well by fluffing up and retaining high bounce for a long time. Tecnifiber X1 is by far my #1 choice followed by ProPenn XD. I like the same balls for serves also as they take spin well - can swing harder for pace when the ball takes spin well for control.

I never play with any of the Championship balls and don’t like balls that lose their fluff quickly like Wilson US Open, Babolat Gold etc. also. While Dunlop premium balls like AO, ATP XD seem to fluff up too much and get too slow, I would prefer playing with those to lightweight, thin-felt (low-fluff) balls that don’t take spin well and become low-bouncing faster. Finesse/slice guys and older guys who don’t move well seem to want the thin-felt balls as power-hitting opponents make more errors at least early in matches with low-fluff balls.

I think I have strong preferences for serves and baseline shots when it comes to balls. At the net, I really don‘t care and can play with any ball.
 
socallefty said:
I play power baseline tennis with heavy spin mostly in singles and come to the net quickly in doubles. I like the same balls for both versions of the sport - premium XD balls for hard courts that have heavy felt and take spin well by fluffing up and retaining high bounce for a long time. Tecnifiber X1 is by far my #1 choice followed by ProPenn XD. I like the same balls for serves also as they take spin well - can swing harder for pace when the ball takes spin well for control.

I never play with any of the Championship balls and don’t like balls that lose their fluff quickly like Wilson US Open, Babolat Gold etc. also. While Dunlop premium balls like AO, ATP XD seem to fluff up too much and get too slow, I would prefer playing with those to lightweight, thin-felt (low-fluff) balls that don’t take spin well and become low-bouncing faster. Finesse/slice guys and older guys who don’t move well seem to want the thin-felt balls as power-hitting opponents make more errors at least early in matches with low-fluff balls.

I think I have strong preferences for serves and baseline shots when it comes to balls. At the net, I really don‘t care and can play with any ball.
Click to expand...
damn alot of votes for x1... gonna go order a case now :P

typically use:
us open xd... most picky players i play with are ok with it
diadem (same as us open to me... and got a deal)
 
I've always wanted to try X1. Two things I've wondered though: 1. where can I get a single can of them from a good supplier (ie., not amazon, etc.) 2. why 4 balls in a can?
 
Katzenjammer said:
I've always wanted to try X1. Two things I've wondered though: 1. where can I get a single can of them from a good supplier (ie., not amazon, etc.) 2. why 4 balls in a can?
Click to expand...
My local tennis shop sells a single can. Same reason Wilson's RF's tennis balls came in 4's, you might lose one or if you hit hard enough having a rotation helps.
 
nyta2 said:
damn alot of votes for x1... gonna go order a case now :p

typically use:
us open xd... most picky players i play with are ok with it
diadem (same as us open to me... and got a deal)
Click to expand...
Here is the endorsement that made me buy a case last year without ever playing with them before and without being able to buy them as single cans. Best decision I made with respect to tennis balls. There are a lot more endorsements on that thread.
J011yroger said:
Super high quality ball, but they have a lot of felt so not recommended for wet clay courts because they get quite heavy.

J
Click to expand...
 
pub said:
At Diadem website, 1/15/2025, Diadem Premier Extra Duty - Case
Regular price$109.95

Did you buy it from somewhere else? $109 feels like regular price for a decent 24 case of balls.
I am going to buy this and give it a try. I play indoors in IL, hard court.
Click to expand...
My guy got me a deal along with a few other guys and got them 25/30% cheaper. May have been a one off deal, I dunno.
 
pub said:
At Diadem website, 1/15/2025, Diadem Premier Extra Duty - Case
Regular price$109.95

Did you buy it from somewhere else? $109 feels like regular price for a decent 24 case of balls.
I am going to buy this and give it a try. I play indoors in IL, hard court.
Click to expand...
You do not have to look very hard for discount codes to bring the Diadem price down. Wilson US Open quality has declined. Still usually a good ball (relatively) but have opened a number of dud cans.

TennCom just released a video on this very topic. And how bad the Dunlop balls are

Post above beat me by a few minutes
 
nyta2 said:
damn alot of votes for x1... gonna go order a case now :p

typically use:
us open xd... most picky players i play with are ok with it
diadem (same as us open to me... and got a deal)
Click to expand...
The TF X1 ball is really good. Longer life and more durable than the US Open XD ball.
 
pub said:
Thank you very much in advance and please share any thoughts if you have used recently purchased a ball you would recomment or not recommend.
Click to expand...

rs.php


I would recommend Tecnifibre Champion. Retains Bounce and Speed. They feel likeq combo of the Bab Gold and old US Opens used to be like. The also last twice as long as every other ball I tried. $90 per case.

Tecnifibre Court is more expensive but not as good as Tecnifibre Champion... Bounces less and makes BLAT sounds early . $110-$100 per case

I have no tried the X-One (not new from.a can atleast) but even old balls I found on a court remained playable for a good bit but I didnt try new because they are $140 a case.
 
thenewbig3 said:
I would recommend Tecnifibre Champion. Retains Bounce and Speed. They feel likeq combo of the Bab Gold and old US Opens used to be like. The also last twice as long as every other ball I tried. $90 per case.

Tecnifibre Court is more expensive but not as good as Tecnifibre Champion. $110-$100 per case

I have no tried the X-One (not new from.a can atleast) but even old balls I found on a court remained playable for a good bit but I didnt try new because they are $140 a case.
Click to expand...
Think of the many hours of entertainment 18 cans of tennis balls provide especially when they last so much longer than other balls. Might be worth splurging for the extra $.
 
socallefty said:
Think of the many hours of entertainment 18 cans of tennis balls provide especially when they last so much longer than other balls. Might be worth splurging for the extra $.
Click to expand...

At my level the TFibre Champion works freaking awesome. I think @SupahMan5000 was the one who originally put them on my radar. And he breaks strings in 1 hour on some rackets... Ive been through 7 cases since with maybe 2-3 bad balls.

The old guys and some of my hitting partners hate me - they say its hard - along with USO balls that I also like but dont last as long as TF Champs - they prefer weak ass balls that bounce low - and they swear fluffy ATP balls protect their elbow.

Post in thread 'Diary of a Racketaholic' http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/diary-of-a-racketaholic.347887/post-17557949
 
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thenewbig3 said:
At my level the TFibre Champion works freaking awesome. I think @SupahMan5000 was the one who originally put them on my radar. And he breaks strings in 1 hour on some rackets... Ive been through 7 cases since with maybe 2-3 bad balls.

The old guys and some of my hitting partners hate me - they say its hard - along with USO balls that I also like but dont last as long as TF Champs - they prefer weak ass balls that bounce low - and they swear fluffy ATP balls protect their elbow.

Post in thread 'Diary of a Racketaholic' http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/diary-of-a-racketaholic.347887/post-17557949
Click to expand...
Yes Tecnifibre Champion is my go to for personal buying/use and for recommending factoring in price, feel, and durability. They’re the best feeling *training* ball and can be had for a reasonable price. If I open 2 cans, I could get 2.5 hours indoors.

USO and Yonex are my personal preference if I’m playing a match where it doesn’t matter about price or durability. I’m very lucky that the baskets are full of USO where I coach so it’s super enjoyable to use USO regularly without durability worries. Otherwise a can or 2 doesn’t last very long for personal use
 
thenewbig3 said:
rs.php


I would recommend Tecnifibre Champion. Retains Bounce and Speed. They feel likeq combo of the Bab Gold and old US Opens used to be like. The also last twice as long as every other ball I tried.
Click to expand...
Are they gentle on the arm? Do they feel heavy or light?
 
mad dog1 said:
4 balls are great. 3 ball US Open XDs go bald in around 60 mins so having a 4th ball allows a can to last the entire hitting session.
Click to expand...

How many people on TTW have this ability? I would guess not too many

Arzivu said:
Are they gentle on the arm? Do they feel heavy or light?
Click to expand...

Midweight and leaves racket quickly. My older dingles buddies dont like it - they prefer the Dunlop ATP marked balls because they are softer and fluff up and slow down and help their elbows
 
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The tennis center I work at uses Tecnifibre Champion balls in our teaching carts and they last quite a long time even with 7-9 UTR juniors beating the crap out of them for 3 hours a day 3 days a week. But for me the best ball is the Tecnifibre Court, I compare it to the US Open but they are a little "lighter" than the US Open. I really cant wait to try the X1 balls!
 
Thx. (all balls below have been played this year)
I will rate the balls, 10 the highest.

Diadem XD - 9 (can play 4 hours, bounce well maintained, size good, felt good)
Wilson XD - 8 (can play 3 hours, bounce well maintained, size good, felt good)
Tecni champion - 6 (can play 4 hours, bounce is ok, size is small, less felt)
Babolat Championship Gold (red label, purchased 2025) - 4 (can play 2 hours, bounce is ok, size is small, less felt) (this one 2025 degraded compared to 2024 early ones)
Babolat Championship Gold (red label, purchased 2024.3) - 8 (can play 3 hours, bounce well maintained, size good, felt good)
Babolat All Court (cyan label) - 6 (can play 3 hours, bounce is ok, size good, less felt (almost bald after 2 hours))
Costco Penn - 5 (looks good in every way but feels hard on impact. No one likes this ball when playing doubles, also the bounce is slightly off)
 
Anyone got experience with Artengo balls? So many different types but they do all have solid reviews
 
IMO everything has gone downhill except the top of the line Slazengers, which still feel amazing and last great. Not cheap though!
 
Just opened a can of the Costco Penns on Saturday (two days ago) ... one ball was completely flat, one ball had a really erratic bounce and the third one was playable. So the two "good ones" sent into the ball machine hopper. You get what you pay for. Yes. They are cheap. Essentially seconds just packaged as "championship" balls.
 
Of the Championship Level ball Dunlop Championship better than Wilson and both miles ahead of Penn Championship.
Either one if fine for playing with once. But not a ball to keep for training or in the hopper.

Wilson US Opens play probably the best for 1-2 sets, but then are bald and just don't feel the same. Almost as if they harden up and start to feel like the concret rocks that come out of a Penn Championship Can. So if you only use balls for an hour this is a great ball.

Dunlop ATP have almost he opposite problem of US Opens. They play a little softer and not as crisp but fluff up so easily it changes the way they play after set. I've never had so many people complain about a ball. "Did you get this from your dog?" numerous people have commented after a set.

To me the 2 quality balls that are also of good value are the ProPenn Marathon and the Dunlop Grand Prix. Both are very consistent in there play, have good feel, not too soft or too hard. Reasonably priced. Can get 2 good sessions out of ProPenn Marathons and still probably through into the hopper for training afterwards. Dunlop Grand Prixs are good for 2 training session or 1 play session and 1 training session. But will definitely be a little balder into the 2nd session.
 
In my experience/opinion, Dunlop grand prix and Yonex tour are the best in their respective price points ($90 and $110, respectively). Both are consistent, comfortable, and provide a lengthy playability window.
 
adchris2 said:
In my experience/opinion, Dunlop grand prix and Yonex tour are the best in their respective price points ($90 and $110, respectively). Both are consistent, comfortable, and provide a lengthy playability window.
Click to expand...

Dunlop Grand Prix was my choice (at 4.0) till I found the Tecnifibre Champion ($90 case) - Lasts Longer.... it does slow down (through the court) eventually but still bounces. If you have not tried it, give it a shot.
 
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thenewbig3 said:
Dunlop Grand Prix was my choice (at 4.0) till I found the Tecnifibre Champion ($90 case) - Lasts Longer.... it does slow down (through the court) eventually but still bounces. If you have not tried it, give it a shot.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the shout! I’ll consider testing them out after I get through my case of Yonex tours. Do they feel any different from the Grand Prix?
 
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