Tennis ball longevity for Casuals

[Bilders]

Hey team,

Just want to get some answers on how long your tennis balls last for recreational hitting purposes?

We're talking about people who don't hit the ball very hard and play at a very casual rallying pace.

 

[kevin qmto]

Every time I hit, I always have 6 balls in rotation. I try to get 3 hitting sessions out of each of the 6 balls. If I try to go 4, I can usually tell the balls are noticeably flatter.

 

[Pctopcool]

It depends on balls. Propenn marathon is the longest lasting ball I know. They usually last a full match and two casual hitting sessions at 3.5 level. I usually put them in corny keg to repressurize for serve practice or ball machine. But they usually loose a lot of felt at this point. Regular Penn championship only last two sets as a comparison.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-the cheaper balls dont last much after opening the can; 1x match and 1x-2x practice/s within days of each other
-the more premium balls last about double that ,(respectively speaking) but again all within days of opening
-if you dont play very frequently, i would open a normal cheap-o can everytime i visit the courts
-no sense buying premium balls if they are going to go "flat" by the time you get to the courts again
-wilson and/or penn balls would be my suggestion to weekend warriors

-btw, @Bilders wilson came out with wilson.TRINITY balls
-that might be something you might like
-its a different type of ball that last a longer time, more so than conventional tennis balls

 

[puppybutts]

IMO just get Wilson Triniti. more expensive but last well beyond the extra $. plus at a casual rec level, you probably won't notice much the difference between it and a normal ball

 

[Pctopcool]

IMO just get Wilson Triniti. more expensive but last well beyond the extra $. plus at a casual rec level, you probably won't notice much the difference between it and a normal ball

In my experience, most rec players can definitely tell Triniti and regular balls apart simply based on the sound. Triniti just sounds like dead ball, while bounces OK. This is particularly noticeable indoors.

 

[smboogie]

Triniti aren't bad, the sound is very different and they feel heavy at first, but after some good rallying they are fine (except the sound is still there). I don't think they are approved for match play, yet, but they do last a long time, in fact I have seen some that have almost no fuzz on them but still bounce good.
Personally I see strings and balls as the disposable aspects of tennis - playing with worn out strings and/or balls only leads to arm issues that will take me out of playing tennis. Basically I would rather pay for fresher balls and strings vs tennis elbow and shoulder pain keeping me from playing.

 

[Slicehand]

I use 4 ball cans, they last a match, and by the second set the performance is already very affected, sometimes i play a second match with them, but only because of finance and if the match is more like a practice, if i didnt mind the money, i would use a new can of 4 balls every set

 

[dkmura]

Good point about balls and strings being replaceable vs. developing arm problems. The other factor can be what kind of surface the ball is being used on. Here in Colorado, a nice swept hard court is easier on the balls than one with lot of dirt and grit on it. Standard Penns get used up quickly, while this weekend I noticed to ATP Dunlops had better wear on the nap and bounced better after three sets.