The Unexpected Reason Wimbledon Switched To Yellow Tennis Balls In 1986

The prestigious Wimbledon tennis Championships underwent a small yet significant change in 1986. Indeed, it was a shift from the classic white to yellow balls in an attempt to make the television audience see the balls more clearly.

According to CNN, tennis balls have traditionally been white or black. However, with the arrival of colour television and the rising popularity of the game in the late 1960s, the broadcasters thought it necessary to make the game even more appealing.

Also Read | Wimbledon Uses AI To Combat Online Abuse Against Tennis Players

A leading figure in British broadcasting, David Attenborough, helped spearhead this move. While working as a BBC employee during their change-over to colour televisions, Attenborough remarked how hard it was on viewers to watch the white tennis ball moving across the Grass Courts. This gained support for research by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), which found that, in fact, yellow balls did improve vision on television screens.

In 1972, the ITF officially demanded a changeover to yellow or white balls with both uniform surface features. Still, Wimbledon continued with white balls until 1986 before finally going for the yellow variety to enhance the viewing pleasure of the game for millions of fans worldwide.

The 2024 Wimbledon Championships began on Monday, July 1, and will run for two weeks. The men's and women's doubles finals will take place on Sunday, July 14, to mark the conclusion of the competition. This esteemed yearly competition takes place at London's All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.