Where does this come from, and can I check it?

The ITF changed from white so television viewers could follow the ball. The figure is taken from International Tennis Federation, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a sports fact?

Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Tennis balls turned yellow in 1972

The ITF changed from white so television viewers could follow the ball Yellow balls were approved for international play in 1972 and quickly became standard on the professional tours. Wimbledon kept using white balls until 1986, longer than any other major event. The colour is officially called optic yellow. It sits in Mondo's sports collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

International Tennis Federation

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Wimbledon replaced its line judges in 2025Electronic calling took over every court after nearly 150 years of human calls The Davis Cup began as a challenge between nationsFour Harvard players donated a silver bowl in 1900 for a match against Britain Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the worldThe first championship was played in 1877 on grass The longest tennis match lasted over eleven hoursJohn Isner beat Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010, 70-68 in the final set Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titlesIt is the most in the Open Era, which began in 1968 A tennis court is 23.77 metres longIt is 8.23 metres wide for singles and 10.97 metres for doubles

Tags: tennis, equipment, television

Tennis balls turned yellow in 1972: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: The ITF changed from white so television viewers could follow the ball. The figure is taken from International Tennis Federation, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a sports fact?: Yes. It sits on the Sports shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.