Sigi's tips | Sinner brings back memories of Becker

One would have been only too happy to forego nature's demonstration of power in the last few days, especially since we have now reached a new dimension in terms of language. We used to talk about hailstones. Pea-sized perhaps, many of which we could still hold in one hand. There is no longer any talk of that. You would have to say hailballs now. Even bigger than golf balls, they raced towards the earth at speeds of 150km/h and destroyed everything that came in their way. Roofs were punctured, cars were demolished, photovoltaic systems were reduced to pulp. A scoop of frozen ice cream barely fit in one hand and felt about the same as a tennis ball from the fridge.

But in these days when Jannik Sinner is playing against Novak Djokovic for a place in the final at Wimbledon, we don't want to think about the hailballs, but rather hope that the monegasse from South Tyrol hits his tennis balls in such a way that he might even succeed to defeat the almost invincible Serbs on the holy turf. They also shimmer yellow now. Until 1986, the English stubbornly refused, as is their wont, to accept the new color. Until then they actually looked like the current hailstones. And they initially feel cool because they are kept under lock and key before use and cooled at 20 degrees Celsius to ensure optimal condition before use.

Focus on the ball: Aryna Sabalenka strikes. © ANSA / NEIL HALL

More than 54.000 balls are used during the 14 days at Wimbledon and in view of the now ever-present discussion about sustainability, the most pressing question of all naturally arises: What do the balls do when they are used up and their strength loses due to the force of the hits? They don't melt like their unusual cousins, whose core consists of ice crystals that fall from the upper icy part of the thundercloud into an updraft area. This ice core is slowed down by the updraft and begins to grow constantly at a roughly constant height. When so-called super cells then develop, the hailstones can reach the size of a tennis ball with a diameter of at least 6,54 centimeters.

What happens to the old balls? When the referee says: “New balls,” then a different, less exciting life begins for the old balls. Now Jannik Sinner is no longer beating on her, but simply the famous average consumer. The approximately 250 ball boys and girls collect the balls after each day, which are then sold at the Wimbledon Foundation Kiosk for the equivalent of around three euros (six packs five euros). It's a great souvenir. They are the balls of the stars. Used balls that are not sold are donated or recycled.

Ball boys are in demand. © APA/afp / ADRIAN DENNIS

It is primarily the rubber inside of the balls that is used for new floor coverings in tennis halls. And even before the tournament, nature conservation was happy. The organizers gave the UK Wildlife Trust a bunch of balls before the tournament, but they didn't have a long life either. They are cut up and used as housing for hunting mice. This is a tradition, like so many things at this tournament, which of course also follows clear rules. After seven sets there are new balls in every match, then after nine.

US Opens have the most ball wear Of course, we always wonder why all the players always allow four balls to be thrown at each other (by the way, according to the regulations, there can't be more than that). But in fact, after a quick test, players notice whether a ball has lost its strength and whether the smoothness has already been affected. They feel like violin virtuosos with their sides, who immediately sense when something is wrong. It's a familiar procedure, but also one that makes perfect sense. For us who play ordinary tennis, this is hardly noticeable. We sometimes play with our balls until they literally run out of air and are probably saving money in the wrong end. Incidentally, the most balls are not needed at Wimbledon, but at the US Open. This has primarily to do with the hard court surface in New York.

Nature is also happy about Wimbledon, because it is of course somehow beautiful, even if it is almost out of date, that the game is played on a lawn that is of course cared for and mowed with scientific precision. Density, hardness and moisture are regularly measured using detectors inserted into the lawn. And then the nail scissors come into play. The height of the lawn is exactly eight millimeters, and the grass is shortened by exactly two millimeters every day.

Anyone who has good serves - and Jannik Sinner has also improved extremely in this area - has undisputed advantages. In any case, it's done. The game of games at the moment for South Tyrol. It reminds me a little of Boris Becker, who won Wimbledon as a 17-year-old. That was in 1985 and triggered a tremendous tennis boom in Germany. Sinner's appearances are now also electrifying and perhaps it is a good omen that nature gave both of them the same hair color. Who knows, maybe Djokovic will see red after the semi-finals and the hunting mice will dance waltzes with South Tyrolean brass music.

About the author: Sigi Heinrich The award-winning sports journalist and Eurosport commentator devotes his column Sigi's Peaks to the entire diversity of sport and also enjoys poaching in foreign regions. Sometimes with a smile and a wink, sometimes seriously or deliberately provocative. There should be something for everyone. Heinrich wrote two tennis yearbooks with his colleague Doris Henkel and some finals in Paris as a commentator are still among his personal highlights.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Hockey

Tennis

Winter sports

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Sigi's tips | Sinner brings back memories of Becker

Comments (0)