Could 3D Printed Tennis Balls Be the Future of Sustainable Play?

Tennis balls don’t last forever. Their lifespan depends on the type of ball and style of play: pressurized balls typically last one to three weeks for moderate, recreational use, but only one to three hours in constant, competitive play. Over time, repeated impacts cause the felt to wear down and the internal pressure to drop, resulting in a lower, inconsistent bounce. The environmental impact is significant. More than 300 million tennis balls are produced globally each year, and after their short lifespan, most end up in landfills, where they can take up to 400 years to decompose. To address this issue, Noé Chouraqui, a third-year Product and Industrial Design student at Central Saint Martins, developed POINT, a 3D printed tennis ball made from eco-friendly materials. Durable and fully recyclable, these balls aim to offer a sustainable alternative—and could even earn approval from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for official match use.

To create POINT, Chouraqui conducted extensive testing, trying out different filaments, internal lattice structures and printing parameters using software like Fusion 360 and BambuLab Studio. In an interview with Dezeen, he explained that the material he used was a filament called High Resilience PLA (PLA-HR), which is made from plant-derived materials, primarily corn starch. After creating multiple iterations, he was able to create a ball with a precise balance of strength, bounce and durability. Now, he has a unique and highly effective patented design. Along with the ball, Chouraqui designed cardboard tubes for sustainable packaging.

The neon yellow POINT tennis balls mimic the look of classic tennis balls.

Jamie Capel Davies, Head of Science and Technical at the ITF, tested the POINT balls officially. Currently, the ITF Technical Commission is reviewing POINT’s data, considering adjustments to regulations to potentially accept sustainable alternatives in official matches. According to Chouraqui, the prototype showed “promising aerodynamic performance closely matching conventional tennis balls.”