People are just realising why tennis balls are bright yellow & it’s thanks to a British national treasure
WIMBLEDON is back in full force, with thousands of people tuning in to watch world-class tennis taking place in London.
Tennis fans may be interested to know that there is a key reason why tennis is typically played with fluorescent yellow balls – and it’s all thanks to Sir David Attenborough.
Typically the sport used to be played with white balls, and this dates back to the inception of lawn tennis in the late 1800s.
This was common practice for around 100 years, but became an issue from the 1960s when colour televisions started to rise in popularity.
As tennis fans watch games around the world, it proved to be tricky to spot the lightning-fast tennis balls during matches.
But what does this have to do with popular biologist Sir David?
Sir David told The Radio Times that he worked as a controller for BBC2 in 1968 and part of his role was being responsible for bringing colour TV to the UK for the first time that year.
United States and Japan already had the advancement, but BBC was yet to switch over.
David explained: “We had been asking the government over and over again, and they wouldn’t allow us, until suddenly they said, ‘Yes, okay, you can have [colour television technology], and what’s more you’re going to have it in nine months’ time,’ or whatever it was.”
Sir David felt that Wimbledon would be the perfect event to showcase colour television for the first time.
He revealed: “I mean, it is a wonderful plot: you’ve got drama, you’ve got everything. And it’s a national event, it’s got everything going for it.”
The legendary presenter quickly realised that it was hard to notice the ball when it travelled over white lines.
Despite any difficulties spotting balls on TV, Wimbledon didn’t make the switch to them being yellow until 1986.
The official Wimbledon Compendium for that year noted: “Yellow balls were used for the first time, largely as the white balls were getting stained green on the grass, sometimes making them almost impossible to see on TV, where tennis was increasingly popular.”
The QI trio of John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller wrote a book called “2,024 QI Facts To Stop You In Your Tracks” and mentioned the fun fact.
They wrote: “Yellow tennis balls, which look better on colour TV, were the idea of David Attenborough when he was Controller of BBC2. (They used to be white.)”
The legendary broadcaster received a huge round of applause after arriving at Wimbledon last week.
The 98-year-old joined a host of VIP guests in the Royal Box on centre-court.
David Beckham was present for day one of this year’s tournament alongside Attenborough.
Meanwhile, singers Katherine Jenkins and Sir Cliff Richard also caught the action at Wimbledon.
What it's like to be a Wimbledon ball kid
By Alison Maloney
WHILE the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Andy Murray keep us entertained during this summer’s Championships, spare a thought for those unsung heroes that keep the tournament going.
Personal trainer Alex Crockford, now 33, served as a ball boy at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2006, and has lifted the lid to SunSport on what it’s really like.
“Standing still for hours is one of the toughest parts of being a ball boy,” he says.
“It’s quite strict and you don’t want to let your team down or feel like you’re doing a bad job.
“I remember one really hot day, I clearly hadn’t fuelled or hydrated myself appropriately.
“I did have a very faint moment, and started seeing blurry stars.
“There are six BBGs on the court and a captain, which was me, so I was standing to the left of the umpire chair and I was away from my water.
“I had to go outside of my position, get some water and re-balance myself before I could continue.”
Click here to read Alex’s ball boy story in full.
However, it was the beloved broadcaster who received the warmest welcome from the crowd.
As he made his way to his seat with his daughter Susan, Attenborough received a standing ovation.
Fans got to their feet and applauded the TV icon, who is best known for his wildlife programming.
Attenborough could be seen smiling as he reacted to the heart-warming reception from the crowd.
He arrived on centre-court ahead of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz’s first round tie.
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