changing a broken ball during a match- do you need to try a new one out?

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When a ball is broken or cracked in a match, professional players try out the new ball by having a knock up before continuing play. Is this really necessary as during some tournaments such as T2 several balls are used. A new ball is thrown to the server rather than fetching the ball after a smash. This is done to speed up the game and make it better for spectators (and youTube) but players cannot try out each ball-even at game point.

Do professional players really need to try out a new ball and can they feel different or is this just for their own feelings?
 
says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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In T2, by the end of the first game, they have already used all balls in circulation. So, not needed there.

If the ball breaks and there is a new ball, and the only ball they were using was the ball that broke, the new ball, even if the same kind of ball (ie Nittaku 40+ Premium) one had been used more. There will be very slight differences. Do they really need to hit it back and forth 3 or 4 times? No. But it still is worth doing.

However, if, in a club, you change balls in the middle of a match and the new ball is a different make than the one that broke, you definitely would want to feel it for a few hits; see the bounce; see how the ball plays and feels.

And by doing that with a ball that is the same make and model, you are simply insuring there are no irregularities.

Ever seen a Poly ball that was not fully round? It happens more than you would think. If the original ball was round and the new one is not fully spherical, that could really mess you up.

I have seen it with the Poly balls where in a gross of a particular kind of ball, more than half were not properly spherical. So, nothing bad would ever happen by testing them.
 
says Aging is a killer
Fairness applied

A couple of reasons why players knock with the new ball.
1. If the ball breaks during play, then that ball most likely was weak and the players were used to it. The new ball in this case will play very differently, so it's only reasonable and fair to give the players a chance to get used to the new ball.
2. At T2 and national events, before start of play, the balls are cleaned and tested by the players and officials to check for any outlier in quality. The outliers of course are never used. At your normal domestic event this testing is almost never done. The new ball is taken straight from the box. Again, it's only reasonable and fair that the players have a knock, in order to confirm quality, before commencing play.
3. In my experience, there have been several instances over the years where an outlier was quickly identified in the knock up or pre-rally spin-test.
 
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says Spin and more spin.
says Spin and more spin.
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Dec 2010
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Read 11 reviews
A couple of reasons why players knock with the new ball.
1. If the ball breaks during play, then that ball most likely was weak and the players were used to it. The new ball in this case will play very differently, so it's only reasonable and fair to give the players a chance to get used to the new ball.
2. At T2 and national events, before start of play, the balls are cleaned and tested by the players and officials to check for any outlier in quality. The outliers of course are never used. At your normal domestic event this testing is almost never done. The new ball is taken straight from the box. Again, it's only reasonable and fair that the players have a knock, in order to confirm quality, before commencing play.
3. In my experience, there have been several instances over the years where an outlier was quickly identified in the knock up or pre-rally spin-test.

That is as well explained as it gets.
 
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