Balls!

After decades of playing tennis with pretty much whatever ball my partner brought to court, I've lately been taking the fuzzy yellow sphere more seriously. For my weekly game, I usually open a can or two of fresh balls, then discard after 2-3 sets.

Probably the balls one sees most, and that get the most play, are Penn (manufactured by Head/Adidas) and of course Wilson. Dunlop and I guess Prince would be next in line. Here are my general impressions:

Penn ATP Extra Duty

Heavy and very, very fuzzy out of the can. In fact, if you hit the ball with any pace, wayward strands of felt will fly free and surround you in an optic-yellow nimbus for a few games. I find these balls to be slow and heavy overall, but they hold up. A workmanlike ball.

Wilson Extra Duty US Open

Lighter than the Penns, less fuzzy, and faster through the air. If the Penns are for baseliners, these are for servers, hard-hitting all-courters, and attacking players. Maybe not so great for touch players, as they lack feel. Deaden faster then the Penns. The kind of ball you might have to replace as a match wears on.

Dunlop Absorber

A ball that's designed to feel softer than the Penns and the Wilsons. I actually think it's feels spongy, rather than "shock-absorbing." And the weather seems to affect it, making it feel really, really heavy some days, lighter others. Ironically, it feels better coming off my Head Ti.Fire Tour Editions than it does off my backup doubles bat, a Dunlop Vision 107. The jury's still out, but I'd say I'm not thate can. They seem best for my game: responsive to spin, responsive to touch, but they don't whiz through the air like the Wilsons. If I were more of a S&V guy, I'd go with the Wilsons, no question. The Dunlops are a wildcard; I'm not sure who should use 'em.