“A different level of endurance.”

“Unique in the world of sports.”

Popular commentators have been charmed and awed by tennis for its high tenacity, athleticism, and competitiveness.

The French Open, however, demands much more.

The French Open tournament

As one of the four most important and prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, the French Open is the only one played on a clay court. Clay courts make you slower, making it even harder to hit winning points. To triumph, one requires a certain level of dexterity and skill, along with a distinct temperament, timing, footwork, and physical endurance.

And while maintaining a strong rally needs a comprehensive strategy with lots of patience and resolve, we forget the one-piece playoff sports equipment serving us this grand spectacle – a tennis ball; made of fibrous felt with in-built aerodynamic properties.

The ‘air’ about a good game of tennis

The bounce in a tennis ball is caused by air that is pumped into the ball. As the air pushes against the inside of the ball it creates pressure. When the ball hits the ground, the side of the ball squishes inwards and the air on the inside pushes out again, and that’s what pushes the ball back up – off the ground, thus creating the bounce.

Tennis balls feature a higher pressure on the inside as compared to the outside. The air pushes on the inside with a force of about 27 pounds per square inch, 13.7 pounds per square inch on the outside. This difference in pressure results in a resistance which accounts for the ‘bounce’.