Though it’s an unpleasant topic, its probably high time we ask, why do tennis balls smell? The stink is horrible and can upset anyone. Know the reasons.
It doesn’t really matter if you are a professional tennis player or someone who’ve just started playing for the first time, a question that must at least once crossed each of your mind is, why tennis balls smell so uncanny.
You’ll have a few persons who thinks that the scent is mysteriously pleasant, while others (like me) thinks it just smells uncanny. But, why do tennis ball smell the way it does? is there a particular reason for this or is just something natural? That’s what we will find out as we go along.
Why do tennis balls smell? New tennis balls has a scent because of the gassing of glue, rubber and other formulas which makes the ball which also releases when opening a new can of balls. Chemicals are continuously released into the air from tennis balls and that is the reason why tennis balls smell.
Why Do Tennis Balls Smell?
The tennis ball is build up of different appurtenance such as rubber, glue etc. This is collectively with the air, what makes the ball maintain a proper and also a consistent bounce. The way in which to keep all that in the tennis ball before using it, they are pressure tested in a can. All the chemicals are trapped into the can, and when it opens, right away it’s freeing a whole lot of other chemicals into the air that makes it smell in a uncanny way.
Chemicals are not only freed after opening the pressurized can. It’s freeing constantly , particularly at the commencement. As you may have acknowledged, the more you use a tennis ball, the scent of it slowly fades more and more each time. Which is a clever way to find out if a ball is new or old.
A lot of persons buy a can of balls for the sole purpose of the scent and smelling on a new can of tennis balls. Which is a bit unusual, However as I said, you have persons who just appreciate the scent while other do not. You can compare the smell of a new tennis balls, with a new car smell. It smells very uncanny, but it does smell quite respectable in a weird way. If you purchase a new vehicle at least once in your ever, you get precisely what I mean.
Why Do Tennis Player Smell Their Balls?
There are a lot of understanding when a tennis player smell on their balls and it’s very single. But, these are the primary understanding to when a tennis player likes to smell on their tennis balls.
Firstly the main one, is because it smells good. If tends to smell delightful especially you have that in your palms, what’s stopping you from smelling it and why shouldn’t you smell it? It’s absolutely weird, however most persons tends to have something that they like smelling that’s a little weird that they like to smell on. For example, many persons like the smell of flowers and oil, in the exact way, some persons rather like to smell on tennis balls.
Now secondly, what a lot of persons seem to not recognize is that it works as a ritual before serving or before a match. If you are interested in the tennis scene, you would surely know that pro players take their rituals seriously you can say their possessed about their rituals, especially before serving. You can compare smelling on a tennis ball to players that blow on their hand prior to every point, I believe that is just as uncanny as smelling on a tennis ball.
If you have ever seen Rafael Nadal performed and know his rituals prior and during points, you wouldn’t have the thought for a second smelling on a ball is uncanny. I understand the reason players bounces the ball before serving and stuff like that, however stuff that Nadal do before he does play, and other players that smells on a tennis ball to get ready for a point, is just uncanny as much.
Now if you do not like the smell of tennis balls and wish to wash the smell off or if your used tennis ball just needs a rinse, we have the best cleaning tips for you.
So, how do you clean a tennis ball?
- Take a small tub and pour in some warm water and add a drop of liquid detergent.
- Place the tennis balls in and allow them to soak for at least half an hour. You can even leave them in for an hour or more if they are dirty.
- Now start scrubbing each ball using a soft sponge. Be very gentle with this so that you do not damage the tennis ball.
- Now rinse the scrubbed tennis balls in cold water and place them on a drying mat to dry.
- Now take an old absorbent rag and pat them dry. If you can’t pat them dry, leaving tennis balls out in the sun can do the trick.
The reason it is important to clean your tennis balls other than just to wash off the smell is that cleaning tennis balls prevents the rest of your tennis equipment from getting dirty in your bag. It is also budget friendly as you don’t have to replace tennis balls so often and cleaning the tennis balls also help to maintain the fuzz on the outside of the ball.
So Can You Use These Cleaned Tennis Balls For Games?
Once a tennis ball has been cleaned, it is considered to be an old ball. Old balls are less likely to have a proper bounce and are less capable of delivering a good hit. Therefore, they’re not used in competitive games. These cleaned balls are best used as practice balls while you’re on the court or you can give it to your dog to play with.
Final Thoughts
It’s quite normal for a player to be smelling a new can of tennis balls it’s something that many tennis players do especially a new can of balls. Although you rarely think about why it’s smelling and where it is from. So, it’s cool to know where this unusual scent comes from.
