How many balls are used at Wimbledon?
How many balls are used at Wimbledon?
Are you curious about how many balls are used at Wimbledon altogether? Watch & Bet on Tennis Live =>
Wimbledon is famous for its pristine grass courts, strict traditions, and world-class tennis.
However, one of the most surprising statistics from The Championships has nothing to do with aces or trophies it is the enormous number of tennis balls used during the tournament.
Every year, Wimbledon uses approximately 55,000 tennis balls throughout the two-week event. Tournament organizers regularly replace balls to ensure consistent bounce, speed, and playing conditions for every match.
New balls are introduced after the first seven games of a match and then after every nine games thereafter.
This helps maintain the highest possible standards on court and ensures that players compete under identical conditions.
The official Wimbledon ball is supplied by Slazenger, a company that has partnered with the tournament for more than a century.
Before they are used, the balls are carefully stored at a controlled temperature to preserve their performance characteristics.
With hundreds of matches taking place across singles, doubles, mixed doubles, junior, and wheelchair events, it is easy to see why Wimbledon requires tens of thousands of balls every summer.
The massive ball usage reflects the tournament’s commitment to providing players with the best possible playing conditions from the first round to the final.
How many tennis balls are used in a match
In a professional tennis match, the number of balls used depends on how long the match lasts.
Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon, start with six balls in play. The balls are changed after the first seven games and then after every nine games thereafter.
As a result:
A short straight-sets match may use 12–18 balls.
An average three-set match typically uses 18–24 balls.
A long five-set Grand Slam match can use 30–45 balls or more.
Example
A men’s match that finishes 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 contains 30 games:
First 6 balls: Games 1–7
New 6 balls: Games 8–16
New 6 balls: Games 17–25
New 6 balls: Games 26–30
So approximately 24 balls would be used during the match.
Short answer: Most professional tennis matches use between 18 and 30 tennis balls, while very long Grand Slam matches can require 40 or more balls.
How many balls are used at Wimbledon every year?
The short answer is staggering. For The Championships, the fabled two-week event, the All England Club goes through approximately 54,250 to 55,000 tennis balls.
To put that number into perspective, if you lined those 55,000 balls end to end, the trail of yellow felt would stretch for an impressive 2.25 miles.
These balls are shuttled to every corner of the grounds, with 48 tins (each containing four balls) delivered daily to Centre Court and No. 1 Court, and 21 tins allocated to each of the smaller outside courts.
In total, as they roar past for aces and backhands, these balls will be hit tens of thousands of times.
The “New Balls, Please” Ritual
Have you ever noticed how the chair umpire will occasionally call out, “New balls, please”? It’s not random. Wimbledon has one of the strictest ball-rotation systems in tennis.
At the start of a match, players use the same set of balls for the warm-up and the first seven games. After that, and then every nine games thereafter, the umpire orders a fresh set of six balls.
The reason is physics. As a ball is struck, its internal pressure drops slightly and the fluffy “nap” on its surface begins to wear down, slowing the ball’s flight through the air.
By rotating them out at exactly 7 and 9 games, Wimbledon ensures that the bounce remains consistent and that players cannot use a dead ball to gain an unfair advantage.
In a testament to British precision, every single one of those 55,000 balls is tested before it ever sees a racquet.
Slazenger, which has held the contract as the official supplier since 1902 (the longest sponsorship in sporting history), has each ball checked for its weight (56.7 grams), diameter (2.5 inches), and bounce.
They are kept under lock and key and stored in climate-controlled refrigerators at exactly 68°F (20°C) until the moment they are brought out to the court. Watch & Bet on Tennis Live =>
Who is favorite to win Wimbledon 2026!
Who will win Wimbledon 2026? Based on the latest betting odds, Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite to win Wimbledon 2026.
The world No. 1 has been installed as the leading contender by bookmakers after a remarkable run of form, with odds of (1.44) compared to (4.50) for Novak Djokovic and (9.00) for Alexander Zverev.
Sinner enters the tournament as the defending Wimbledon champion after lifting the title in 2025 and has enjoyed an outstanding 2026 season, winning multiple ATP Masters 1000 events and regaining the world No. 1 ranking.
While Djokovic’s experience on grass and Zverev’s recent French Open triumph make them dangerous challengers, Sinner’s consistency, powerful baseline game, and recent dominance make him the player most likely to lift the Wimbledon trophy this year. Watch & Bet on Tennis Live =>
| Odds men’s Wimbledon singles winner | Odds |
| Jannik Sinner | [1.44] |
| Novak Djokovic | [4.50] |
| Alexander Zverev | [9.00] |
| Taylor Fritz | [21.00] |
| Ben Shelton | [23.00] |
| Jack Draper | [26.00] |
| Jakub Mensik | [29.00] |
| Daniil Medvedev | [34.00] |
| Rafael Jodar | [34.00] |
| Jao Fonseca | [34.00] |
More about Wimbledon tennis balls
Here are frequently asked questions on Wimbledon tennis balls
How long do they use tennis balls at Wimbledon?
At Wimbledon, tennis balls are used for a surprisingly short period. New balls are introduced after the first seven games of a match and then replaced every nine games thereafter.
This ensures the balls maintain a consistent bounce, speed, and feel throughout the match.
In practical terms, a set of balls is typically in play for about 30–45 minutes, depending on the pace of the match and the length of rallies.
Professional players prefer fresh balls because older balls lose pressure, become fluffier, and travel more slowly through the air.
Wimbledon uses approximately 55,000 tennis balls during the tournament each year. Many of the used balls are later sold to spectators for charity or donated for environmental projects, including making shelters for harvest mice
How much does a Wimbledon ball cost?
Two prices, depending on pedigree.
Brand new (retail): A standard can of three balls costs £5–£6. A match tin of four balls runs about £8.50.
Used (charity kiosk): Just £2.50 for three balls—a literal piece of SW19 history at pocket money prices.
The used balls are sold deliberately cheap so fans carry them home, reducing waste while funding good causes. Those that don’t sell go to grassroots clubs or, eventually, the harvest mice. Watch & Bet on Tennis Live =>
What happens to used balls at Wimbledon?
Three things. And one of them involves mice.
1. Charity sales. At a kiosk near Court 15, fans snap up used balls for £2.50 per tin of three or £5 for six. In 2025, this raised £41,000 for the Wimbledon Foundation.
2. Recycling into courts. The rubber cores are stripped from the yellow felt and turned into new indoor tennis court flooring. Nothing goes to landfill.
3. Tiny houses for harvest mice. The most famous afterlife: conservationists cut a small hole in each ball and mount it on poles in hedgerows.
Endangered harvest mice use them as ready-made, waterproof nests. Social media has dubbed it “the cutest sustainability story in sports.”
So the next time a player bins a six-game-old ball? That ball isn’t dead. It’s about to become a mouse’s front door.
You can read more about Wimbledon results and winners at the offical website. Watch & Bet on Tennis =>
