When it comes to tennis, players hardly think of the ball they are playing with. Tennis is a great sport that makes players show the greatest feat of their skills. Only the best of the best can come on at the top. What makes someone great at tennis? Practice. The more you practice, the better you get.
When you as a tennis player get down to practice, you consider the racket, string, and your game strategy. Yes, they are important but there is another thing that we often overlook and that’s the ball.
There are two types of tennis balls. The pressurized ones and the pressureless ones. The best pressureless tennis balls make a great choice for practice. Especially for backboard practice. As they are stiff, it makes a great practice ball for power-oriented players.
In a hurry? Here are my top 3 picks!
There are many other benefits of using pressureless tennis balls. The best one is its extended lifespan. Sometimes these balls are referred to as “forever balls”.
So if you want to get yourself some of these so-called forever balls, take a look at this list.
Top 7 Best Pressureless Tennis Balls
1. Wilson Pressureless Tennis Balls
Wilson has been around for very a century now. Since the very beginning, Wilson has been providing us with useful and reliable tennis accessories and equipment. They produce tennis rackets, strings, balls, and many other necessities of tennis.
Just like their racket and strings, Wilson’s tennis balls are considered to be the best of all tennis balls. The same can be said about tier pressureless tennis balls. These pressureless tennis balls are made with dura-weave technology.
This technology further enhances the durability of the tennis ball, making it last longer than any other pressureless tennis ball and take a real beating out of the tennis players. These balls come in a mesh bag. Each bag has 18 tennis balls.
Things I Like:
- Dura-weave technology
- Extra durable and long-lasting
- USTA and ITS approved
- Ideal for both clay court and hard courts
- 18 balls in one bag
2. Vermont Pressureless Tennis Balls
Vermont is another great producer of pressureless tennis balls. Their pressureless tennis balls are ideal for training. The balls have a very durable and sustaining solid rubber core.
This core is what makes these balls retain their high-performance quality. In the beginning, it may start a little stiff but after quite a few sessions, the rubber core will start to soften and it will be bouncy.
They are a bit heavy but that is what makes them ideal for beginners. Vermont sells these pressureless tennis balls in a bucket. Each bucket contains 60 of these high-performance balls.
What makes these tennis balls from Vermont more unique is their super visible fuzzy outer layer. It is constructed with a high-visibility FluroFelt.
Things I Like:
- Durable rubber core
- Ideal for both indoor and outdoor courts
- Good bounce
- High visible outer layer
3. Tourna Pressureless Tennis Ball
Tourna is another well-known tennis ball manufacturer. Their balls are very reliable and durable. Their pressureless ball is one of the top high-quality pressureless tennis balls. Although not used in any official tournaments, these balls are best for training and practice.
They can take a beating from your racket and still won’t go dead. The durability of the balls is the pride of Tourna. They guarantee that their balls will never go dead, even after you left them in your closet for years.
Tourna Pressureless Tennis Ball is an ideal pressureless ball for practicing with a tennis ball machine, backboard, and with your buddy. Tourna sells their pressureless balls in different-sized packs. They start with the 60 balls pack and then go down to 50, 48, 18, and lastly to 12 balls pack.
Things I Like:
- Highly durable
- Strong rubber core
- Bouncy
- Chew resistant, ideal for playing fetch with your dog
4. ROL DRI Pressureless Tennis Ball
These pressureless tennis balls from ROL DRI are a perfect choice for both practice and recreational play. These balls have excellent durability. The outer layer is durable enough to protect the inner rubber core in both indoor and outdoor courts.
The inner core starts as a stiff core but still gives a great bounce. Over time the core will start to soften and this bounce rate will increase. According to ROL DRI, these balls will never lose their bounce in their lifespan.
Things I Like:
- Great bounce quality from the beginning
- Lifetime bounce
- High visibility outer fuzzy layer
- Ideal for practicing
- Durable and long-lasting
5. Gamma Bag of Pressureless Tennis Balls
Gamma is another great producer of tennis balls. They are a well-known brand for producing pressureless balls. Their pressureless balls are extremely durable.
You can load them up in a tennis ball machine and play them the whole day and still, they won’t break down. The rubber layer is durable enough for taking a beating from the machine to your racket. It can be played in both indoor and outdoor setups.
The best thing about this pack of pressureless tennis balls is the price. It comes at a relatively low price point while still providing you with that high-end quality of durability and sustaining bounce properties of the rubber core.
Things I Like:
- Low price
- Durable
- Ideal for practicing with tennis ball machine
- Playable on both indoor and outdoor courts
6. Penn Pressureless Tennis Balls
These pressureless tennis balls from Penn are of premium quality. Penn claims it to be the number one selling ball in all America. These balls have a much better bounce quality.
You may already know that all pressureless balls gain more bounce after some session of use but these Penn balls give you a much better bounce length.
Not only does it have a longer bounce length, but it also gives you better control over the ball and its spin. It is ideal for practicing with a machine backboard or with your partner on all tennis courts.
Things I Like:
- Durable
- Better control
- Better spin
- Extra bounce length
- Low price
7. Crown Pressureless Tennis Balls
These pressureless balls from the crown give you a better spin and bounce. The control part is not up to the standard. It is on the player’s skill set. These balls are strong and durable. With the strong rubber core, it can provide more bounce, and over time it will increase.
Things I Like:
- Soft outer layer
- Strong rubber core
- Highly visible color
- 48 balls in each bucket
Buying Guide To Choose The Best Pressureless Tennis Balls
When it comes to buying tennis balls, we don’t think much of the balls we are buying. That is mostly because in a tennis tournament players don’t have to pick up the balls they will play with. The authorities will choose them for you. So it is not a headache for the players.
But when you are not playing in any tournament or match under the tennis authority, when you are playing unofficially with your tennis buddy, or when you are practicing, you will have to bring your own set of tennis balls. That is when you will have to consider different factors of the tennis ball.
When you are serious about your tennis practice, consider the following factors of buying tennis balls.
Pressurized or Pressureless?
The argument between pressurized and pressureless tennis balls is simple. If you are in a tournament or any match, the balls you play with will always be pressureless and it is provided by the matching authority. Pressurized balls are used in official matches because they are lightweight and comfortable to play with.
As they have a pressurized core, it is easy to hit them and send them flying. The air pressurized core of the ball makes it bounce higher. It is very comfortable on the other hand, perfect for injured players.
Pressureless balls on the other hand have much more mass and weight in comparison to pressurized balls. They have a similar build as the pressurized balls except for one key difference. It is a rubber shell covered with fuzzy fabric materials, identical to the pressurized balls.
The key difference is in the core. While pressurized balls have a hollow core that is pressurized with air, pressureless balls have a solid core that is filled with rubber. There is no air inside, so the bounce has to come from this rubber core.
As this rubber core is stiffer in comparison to the air core, it generates less bounce. That is why players need to hit it harder for it to go over the court. It is ideal for training beginners and intermediate players. Also, it is a perfect choice for practice.
Pressureless balls are more durable than their pressurized counterparts. You can put them in a tennis ball machine or do backboard practice. As there is no pressure, there is no bounce to lose.
Surprisingly, pressureless balls get more bounce over time. That is because the stiff rubber core gets softer due to practice. So if you are looking for a ball for tennis practice, choose the pressureless balls.
Tiers
Tiers are ratings of the ball by the manufacturer that indicates the quality of the ball. The higher the quality, the more expensive the ball gets. You don’t want to put a lot of money behind the practice, do you? No one does.
That is why for practice, it is better to choose the beginner and intermediate tier balls. It is an ideal choice for recreational play too. They do not have that significant drop in quality and lifespan.
If you are playing in a professional tournament, then you will be provided with tier 1 balls. They are pretty expensive.
Durability
Durability is something you should always consider while buying a ball. You don’t want to buy balls that cannot take a beating.
Pressurized balls are notoriously known for their lack of durability. They easily break down. But some companies have started to produce reinforced pressurized balls. They have extra felts with reinforced rubber coating.
Pressureless balls on the other hand are very durable. Not only they don’t break down easily, but they also retain their bounce and over time their bounce increases as the stiff rubber core soften.
Regular Duty vs Extra Duty
It’s not only the purpose of your olay that affects the choice of the balls. The court you are playing on significantly affects the choice of the balls.
There are usually two types of courts in tennis. The clay/ indoor court and the hardcourt.
If you are playing on an indoor court, go for the regular-duty balls. They have thinner outer layers. The court won’t go that hard on the balls. But if you are playing on a hard court, choose the extra duty balls. They have thicker rubber layers. The ball will be able to take a beating from the court with ease.
Altitude
Altitude is another important thing to consider in tennis. It refers to the bounce of the ball. Too much bounce can cause a lot of problems for the game. So it is better to play with balls that have minimum bounce but not too little.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pressureless tennis balls any good?
Yes, they are good for practice.
What tennis balls do professionals use?
Professionals use a professional tier 1 pressurized tennis ball.
What’s the difference between pressurized and pressureless tennis balls?
Pressurized tennis balls have a hollow core that is pressurized with air. Pressureless tennis balls have a solid core that is made out of stiff rubber.
Final Words
Pressureless tennis balls are very different from pressurized tennis balls. Even though they may seem useless, they have their use and professionals use them.
Best pressureless tennis balls are used by professionals for practicing on the court with a tennis ball machine. They are also used for training beginners. These balls do not lose their bounce.
Rather they gain more bounce as the rubber core softens. That is why they are referred to as forever balls. They are great for practicing but not ideal for an official match or tournament.
My name is Reagen and I started AllTennisGear (earlier AllTennisShoes) as a way to share my humble experience and help new Tennis players. Thank you for spending a few minutes of your day here and know that your feedback is always welcome.
Last update on 2022-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API