All You Need to Know About US Open 2020 Balls

Finally to the joy of fans Grand Slam tennis is back. We were treated with the Australian Open in January and from then on the pandemic took a center stage. The global coronavirus outbreak caused tennis to take a break and so after 5 months tennis returns.

The US Open will begin on the 31st of August. And players are practicing long hours on courts to get back on track. The organizers are doing their bit to make sure everything is fine and the tournament runs safe and smooth.

One area where the organizers pay close attention to is the ball. The balls are provided by the sports goods manufacturer Wilson. Wilson has been US Open’s partner since the 1978 tournament at the Flushing Meadows.

The Number of Balls used in the US Open

In a Grand Slam, there are the men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. And so there are over 300 matches. All these matches need new balls. After every nine games, the balls are changed. Grand Slams often see long tense matches and so a lot of balls are used. Approximately 70000 tennis balls are used in the US Open.

The Cost of the Wilson Tennis Balls used in the US Open

According to Wilson’s official website, the balls are available to the public. The ball is available in three variations Extra Duty, Regular Duty, and High altitude. They are sold in packs of 3 Ball-Cans and are priced at $89.99. Each Ball-Can contains 24 Can-Cases which contain 3 balls each.

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In the match, there is the umpire who gives the ball to the players. But on the court, we have another few important people who handle the balls- the ball persons. The young aspiring kids participate in the tryouts earlier in the year and around a few hundred kids are selected. Many come to New York to try and get selected as a ball person and arguably get the best seats to see their stars.

Source: US Open