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What colour do you see? Join the heated social media debate over the TRUE colour of tennis balls!
Do you see yellow? Green? Or something else? It might sound like a simple question, but it has caused heated debates all over the internet. So what is the true colour of a tennis ball?
What is the true colour of tennis balls? Yellow or green? Image source: cottonbro studio from pexels.
The debate resurfaced this week after a Twitter poll asked whether people saw a tennis ball as yellow or green.
A surprising 46.7 per cent of voters said yellow, while 43.2 per cent voted for green; the ‘other’ and ‘just show answer’ options made up for 3.4 per cent and 6.8 per cent of votes respectively.
But why does the debate exist in the first place? Well, it turns out that when it comes to colours, it’s all about the way light reflects off the surface of an object and how your brain ‘translates’ wavelength into colours. And when a tennis ball is seen against a green backdrop—like a grass court—it can appear green instead of yellow.
All-time tennis great Roger Federer has even weighed in, admitting he had always thought a tennis ball was yellow when he visited New York City in 2018.
Source: Twitter/@SBNation
However, this hasn’t settled the issue once and for all; as the poll suggests, many people still see the ball as green.
Kat Woods asked social media users what colour a tennis ball is. Image source: Twitter/Kat Woods.
Since we’re on the topic of tennis ball colours, why are they even coloured the way they are?
The story of the colour of tennis balls dates back to 1970. Initially, tennis balls were white or black depending on the court's surface. During this time, it was harder for both players and spectators to keep an eye on the ball due to its lack of distinctiveness from the court itself. It wasn't until 1972 that the International Tennis Federation (ITF) officially switched to fluorescent yellow, often called 'optic yellow'.
The selection of this colour wasn't made on a whim. The ITF conducted extensive tests and found that this shade of yellow was the most visible to the human eye against the commonly green or blue tennis courts. Moreover, the switch also supported better visibility on black-and-white television broadcasts, a standard format in the 1970s era. That’s right folks, entertainment technology had a ball–pun intended–in shaping the look of the tennis balls we have today!
So why are we all up in a debate about tennis balls being green? It seems that our eyes and brain play an interesting game with us. ‘The Dress' scenario, a viral internet sensation back in 2015, also showcased how people perceive colours differently based on lighting and individual perception.
The viral internet sensation back in 2015 called ‘The Dress’. Image source: Cecilia Bleasdale.
To add another twist, did you know that some tennis balls are pink? You might also see players using white tennis balls to play on red clay courts! So it seems the colour of a tennis ball can be just as diverse and unique as the various individuals debating over it.
Like anything else, what you see may depend on your perspective, or in this case, your retina. Ultimately, whether you see the tennis ball as green, yellow, or all the colours of the rainbow, it's still the same beloved ball that keeps the beautiful game of tennis rolling.
So folks, what colour do you think tennis balls are? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
