Friday 28 January 2011

Why do Tennis Balls have the wiggly line?

As an 'expert' on tennis balls, I was recently asked the question, 'Why do Tennis Balls have the wiggly line on?'




Truth is I did not know, and asking around the other 'experts' in the industry has not really shown me that after all this time the experts fully know.

As far as I can make out, when originally manufactured, they need a seam, and the ying and yang design was visually appealing. And ever since it has stuck.

Apparently the laws of the game do not require a seam, and these days a ball could be made without a seam, but the wiggly line is nice isn't it?

And if you tried to introduce a new ball, I am sure the players would reject it. The wiggly line does help you pick up spin which otherwise would much harder to pick, so the wiggly line will be here forever I think.

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