WHY DO TENNIS PLAYERS CHECK THE BALL BEFORE SERVING?

If you are following the tennis action at Wimbledon this week, you’ve probably noticed the players studying the ball before serving. Why do they do that? It all comes down to hair. The hair on a new tennis ball tends to be smoothed flat, while a ball that’s been knocked around a bit will be more fluffy. Tennis players may check three balls or more before serving so that they can select one smooth ball and one fluffy ball. The smooth ball is used for the first serve. Because the hairs are flattened down, the ball travels faster than an older ball, which should make it harder to return. But the gain in speed comes at a cost. The benefit is counteracted by less accuracy because you get less grip on the ball when you hit it. Should the first serve go astray, the player will use the fluffier ball for their second serve. Although these move slower, they are easier to control and so the player is less likely to concede a double fault.

WHY DO TENNIS PLAYERS CHECK THE BALL BEFORE SERVING?

Not Found