Extra Vs. Regular Duty Tennis Balls: Tennis Ball Guide

An outsider who doesn’t know anything about tennis doesn’t know that there are so many things to a ball that determines how it will perform and where it should be played on. One of the differences is between extra and regular duty balls.

In this article, I will explain what extra-duty balls are and what regular balls are, when and where you should use them, and much more! Before I’m getting ahead of myself, what’s the difference between regular and extra duty balls?

The difference between extra duty and regular duty balls is that extra duty balls have a harder felt with more wool woven around the ball’s core, making it withstand a hard court better where it is meant to be used. Regular duty balls are meant for indoor and soft clay courts.

That being said, extra duty balls should be used when you play on a hard court because regular duty balls will wear out quickly, making you lose your balls faster.

Now, let’s take a closer look at all the differences between extra and regular duty balls because durability isn’t the only one. Also, I’ll talk more about durability as well.

What’s the difference between extra and regular duty tennis balls?

Now, let’s take a closer look at all the differences between extra and regular duty balls because durability isn’t the only one. Also, I’ll talk more about durability as well.

1. Durability

Tennis balls must last as long as possible because it can get expensive if you use pressurized balls and change them often and play with the wrong kind of ball for that court.

The felt on an extra duty ball is thicker, so the ball will last longer, and on a regular duty ball, the felt isn’t as thick, but the felt is tight so that it can perform well on clay courts.

Speaking of performance, there are bounce differences as well.

Learn more: How Long Will Tennis Balls Last?

2. Bounce

Hard courts provide more bounce to tennis balls because they don’t have loose ”debris” on them like clay courts.

For this reason, extra duty balls will bounce similarly with a thicker felt layer when played on a hard court, as regular duty balls will with a thinner layer of felt on a less bouncy court which is clay.

Regular duty balls are bouncier because there is less felt to slow it down between the bouncy rubber shell and court. The ball doesn’t need to be as bouncy on a bouncier court, a hard court so that extra duty balls can be improved in durability.

3. Looks

Finally, there are cosmetic differences between the extra duty and regular duty balls as well!

You can know which kind the ball is by looking at the logo printed on the wall. That’s right, the brand’s color is different between the two because you can quickly know which kind it is if the ball isn’t in its can where the type is also stated.

The brand name is colored black in extra duty balls, whereas the brand’s name is colored red on regular duty balls. The red color symbolizes clay, so, naturally, regular duty balls are colored as such.

That being said, I have gathered all the information found here in the table below so that nothing will be unclear to you after that article!

Ball Type	Regular Duty Tennis Ball	Extra Duty Tennis Ball
Durability	Good, meant for clay courts	Best, meant for hard courts
Bounce	Best, because of less felt	Good, more felt added
Looks	Brand name colored red	Brand name colored black

What other kinds of tennis balls are there?

As you might have noticed, I only talked about clay and hard courts. There are more balls that you should know of that are grass-court balls and high altitude balls. Let’s take a quick look!

Grass court tennis balls

Regular duty balls are for clay courts, and extra-duty balls are for hard courts; there needs to be one for grass as well. Given that grass courts are quite rare nowadays, at least for the everyday tennis player, you might not have encountered grass-court balls.

Anyways, grass-court tennis balls are like regular duty balls because the grass isn’t so bouncy, like clay. However, what makes them different is that the ball’s felt has been through a stain-resistant treatment so that the grass won’t change the ball’s color.

High altitude tennis balls

Finally, there are high-altitude balls. Again, the chances are that you haven’t played tennis with these because you only really need them above 4000feet (1220m) altitude.

That is because a normal pressurized ball will fly abnormally in such altitudes. After all, the air pressure is lower the higher you are. As pressurized tennis balls have set to a specific pressure which is found far below the 4000feet (1220m) altitude, the ball starts to bounce higher and move faster, which is different from normal tennis and is problematic.

Thus, high-altitude tennis balls have a 6% larger diameter than other balls, compensating for the air pressure difference and making the ball act normally.

Learn more: Why Are Tennis Balls In Pressurized Cans?

Are extra duty tennis balls worth it?

Depending on where you should dictate what kinds of balls do you use. If you only use regular duty balls at the moment, you should think about whether extra duty balls are worth it?

Extra-duty tennis balls are worth it and strongly recommended every time you play on a hard court. This is because hard courts will wear out the ball’s surface faster than usual; thus, extra-duty balls with a thicker felt woven in a specific way increase their lifespan.

Can you use regular-duty tennis balls on hard court?

Regular duty and extra duty balls have a difference in their felt. The felt is harder on an extra-duty ball because it will withstand the rough surface of a hard court. But what if you were to take a regular duty ball on a hard court?

Regular duty balls are meant for indoor and soft clay courts, but they can be used on hard courts. Know that the balls felt is considerably softer than extra-duty balls so that it will wear out quickly. This is why you should consider using them on a hard court but know that you can.

Why are tennis balls fuzzy?

Whether a tennis player or the average joe, everyone is familiar with the nostalgic fuzzy look of a tennis ball. The fuzz or felt is made out of wool and nylon, but why is the rubber tennis ball covered in it? That’s what you are about to find out.

Tennis balls are fuzzy because felt will protect the ball from rough court surfaces. Also, aerodynamics play a big part because when air flows through the fuzz, it slows the ball down to a reasonable speed. Finally, the fuzzy felt provides the needed grip and accuracy for your strikes.

As you can see, the fuzz plays an important role in the tennis ball’s performance. Let’s take a closer look at all the different benefits it provides.

1. Protection

Tennis balls are covered in felt because of protection. Imagine hitting a plain, hollow, and thin rubber ball to a hard court. It wouldn’t take long that it would be torn apart.

Luckily, a layer of fuzzy felt will protect the ball very well. As we went through earlier, there are different amounts of felt in different balls depending on how rough the tennis court’s surface is.

2. Aerodynamics

The second reason is aerodynamics and speed in particular. Most people don’t know it, but if you were to strike a tennis ball without the fuzzy felt, it would go so fast that you really couldn’t even play tennis.

This is why the felt is so fuzzy that air will flow through it, slowing down the ball to the speed most of us know tennis balls will travel.

3. Grip

Finally, when the fuzzy tennis ball makes contact with your racket’s strings, it will have a good grip allowing you to add more spin and accuracy to your strike.

However, if the ball wouldn’t have the felt and it would just be the rubber ball, your strike wouldn’t have any grip and not much accuracy, for that matter.

What is the difference between practice and regular tennis balls?

In most cases, practice balls are cheaper and last longer than regular balls, making them cost-efficient. Practice balls are pressureless, meaning they rely their bounce on the ball itself, making them last longer. Regular balls are pressurized, which makes them of higher quality with a shorter lifespan.

That being said, it is smart to bulk buy practice balls that last longer so that you don’t need to buy expensive pressurized balls that start losing pressure the second you take them out of the can.

However, pro tennis players that train for competition and tournaments always train with high-quality pressurized balls because practice balls don’t have a good bounce and playing feel. Also, practice balls are never used in the competition, so that the entire playing experience would differ.

Read also: Tennis Ball Cost: Brand Comparison & Examples

What do numbers on tennis balls mean?

The numbers on tennis balls have one purpose, which is identification. All balls from a single model with different numbers are similar and have no differences, which are commonly believed. When there are multiple courts nearby, balls will get mixed, so the number is a way to identify your balls.

So if you are in a tennis shop and notice that balls from the same brand and model have different numbers, that purpose is solely identification so you can spot your own if they get mixed. There are no bounciness, quality, or lasting differences.