The second life of the little yellow balls of Roland-Garros

What happens to the tennis balls battered by the lightning serves of Ben Shelton and Jannik Sinner or the powerful forehands of Aryna Sabalenka and Loïs Boisson during the fortnight of Roland-Garros? If you've been following the French Open closely, you'll have undoubtedly noticed: their lifespan is short. After the first seven games (including the warm-up), and then every nine games, the umpire replaces them.

A total of 69,462 balls were used in the 2024 edition of the Parisian Grand Slam tournament – ​​the figures for the 2025 edition are expected to be comparable. Made of felt (a blend of natural fibers and nylon, a petroleum-based material) on the outside and rubber on the inside, the balls' quality diminishes over time: they lose pressure and their bounce is reduced. But they don't become unusable, and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) is working to give them, at least partially, a second life.

The first route taken: that of the FFT's National Training Center (CNE), a few hundred meters from the Roland-Garros complex. "The balls are not faulty and the players train with them regularly ," explains Claire Hallé, head of social policy at the Federation. This will be the case again this year."

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