4 days until Wimbledon!

Today we focus on something essential to the drama of any tennis tournament - the ball!

Wimbledon will use 54,250 balls for each championship. They are flown 6,600 miles to SW19 from the Slazenger factory in Bataan in the Philippines and they undergo a rigorous hand testing for bounce, weight and compression.

The ball must bounce between 135 and 147cm after being dropped on to concrete from a height of 100 inches. It must measure between 6.54 and 6.86cm in diameter and weigh between 56 and 59.4g.

Balls are changed after the first seven games (to allow for warm-up), then after every nine games.

Old balls go back into their tins – logo faded, colour dimmed by the ferocity of hitting - and into a green bag under the umpire’s chair. At the end of the match, the team captain returns the bag to the front office and new balls are exchanged for old.

Old balls are sold the following day for £3 for a tin of three balls, £5 for a tin of six.

The proceeds from the sale of used Championships balls are donated to The School’s Tennis programme delivered by the Tennis Foundation. Donations generated are from £15,000. (2015)


From A day in the life: a Championship ball
 

KEY DATES FOR WIMBLEDON 2025

• 23 June: Qualifying begins
• 27 June: The Draw
• 30 June: The Championships starts