- Keep Them In The Tins (Most Ideal Thing To Do)
- If Opened – Store Somewhere Warm And Dry
- Once Opened And Used – Your Tennis Bag
Your Guide
Gavin Davison
Believe it or not, finding the RIGHT PLACE to store your tennis balls is super important.
I’ve managed to choose the EXACT WRONG LOCATIONS in the past, so here, I’d like to help you to avoid making the same mistakes.
This saves you A LOT OF Time, Money, and Plenty of headaches – trust me!
So as you can see above, you have several options for storing your balls depending on their status (brand new, opened, opened and used).
The overarching choice here is that you should store the balls somewhere warm, dry, and out of any potentially harmful elements like Rain and Cold Weather.
This will EXTEND the longevity of the balls, and if you can avoid opening the tins until you are ready to use them, EVEN BETTER.
I’ve gone into detail ON WHY you should store the balls in these areas/conditions below…
And I’ve described some specific storage areas too – all to help you keep your tennis balls in the best condition possible.
Benefits of storing in these locations
Of course, you can go ahead and store your tennis balls wherever you like, as long as they fit the required Warm and Dry criteria.
But the reasons for doing so are MORE SPECIFIC than you might have thought, as detailed here:
Keeping Them in the Tins
Did you know that the cans that tennis balls come in are pressurized?
I must admit, I knew they were pressurized to provide that ‘POP’ when opened, but I DIDN’T KNOW WHY.
During my research, I discovered that these tins are pressurized IN ACCORDANCE WITH the external air pressure, all to keep the balls as new as possible and EXTEND their shelf-life.
I learned that you can leave brand new balls, unopened, in the tin for years until they START TO LOSE significant amounts of pressure.
Therefore, unless you are needing to use the balls immediately, the best storage strategy is to simply keep them in their pressurized tins/cans.
Of course, keeping them in their cans is ONLY BENEFICIAL as long as you do not remove the pressurized lids that are keeping THEM FRESH.
So please hold back your excitement on POPPING all of your new cans once they arrive – something I have done many times in the past!
Warm and Dry Areas
This doesn’t apply SO MUCH to unopened tins, but it certainly applies once you have gone ahead and opened the tins.
Basically, FROM THE MOMENT you remove the lid on your can of balls, they will start to lose pressure and become less fresh and BOUNCY than they once were.
This natural aging process is accelerated if you keep your balls in WET or COLD AREAS, such as your outside garage!
Once upon a time, I opened a FULL BOX OF BALLS and then stuck them in my garage, only to find that they were all flat as a pancake a few months later.
It would seem that the elements really do play a factor here, and the combination of cold and wet/damp conditions can ABSOLUTELY RUIN your tennis balls.
Needless to say, this means that you’d have to go and purchase another batch of balls once they ALL GET RUINED, which nobody wants to go and do!
Keeping Them in Your Bag
If you have a FAIRLY MORDEN tennis bag, even if it’s a backpack, it should be designed to KEEP CONDITIONS as dry and warm as possible.
Most bags have a silver, foil-type lining ON THE INSIDE, which prevents moisture from coming through and destroying your bag’s contents.
Therefore, once you actually have a BUNCH OF opened balls on the go, the best place to keep them is your tennis bag.
Not only does this keep them in decent conditions, but it also means that you WON’T TURN UP to practice and then have to confess that you’ve forgotten the balls at home.
I’ve had to endure the embarrassment of these confessions more times than I care to remember, so do yourself a favor – keep them in your bag so they are READY TO USE.
Bonus – Use a Coaching Cart
If you have an ABSOLUTE BOATLOAD of tennis balls, or you like to play with plenty on the court at any one time, keeping them in your bag isn’t the most economical decision.
Instead, it’s better to invest in some portable ball carrier.
Ideally, you should be looking to get a basket or a cart that can fit in your car, and the more balls these carriers can take, THE BETTER.
Back when I was coaching full-time, I used a cart that had wheels on the bottom, a rather deep container to store PLENTY OF BALLS.
And there was also a zipper around the container so I could drive around without the balls going ALL OVER THE PLACE.
These carts are pretty cost-effective these days too, so you don’t need to go and INVEST THOUSANDS to get a quality product.
Alternatively, if you play at a club where you are friendly with the coaches or the staff, they might just let you store your cart at the CLUB ITSELF.
I’ve done this as many clubs in the past, and it avoids the need to CONSTANT TRANSPORT your tennis ball cart around in your car.
Final thoughts
As I hope you have discovered throughout this article, it is vital that you store your tennis balls in an APPROPRIATE LOCATION.
Doing so means that you will get the most use out of the balls you buy, and you won’t need to go and purchase more every few weeks – purely because of INCORRECT STORAGE.
And remember, the winning combination here is dry conditions and warm temperatures. Find an area that fits this description and you’ll be JUST FINE.
Have anything you’d like to add regarding where to store your tennis balls? Let us all know down below!
