What happens to used tennis balls in Monaco?
In Monaco, tennis balls bounce back for a second life thanks to MCCC initiatives and artists' works, a far cry from where they used to end up: in the bin © Communication department
Having been thrown away without a second thought for many years, used tennis balls are now being given a second life. Between the Monte-Carlo Country Club’s ecological initiatives and their use in art works, the little yellow spheres now reflect a sustainable approach that extends beyond the realms of sport.
With the clay-court season in full swing – after the ATP Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, then Madrid and Rome, the French Open is now under way – it’s a good time to raise the question of what happens to the little yellow balls, once they are worn out by amateurs and professionals alike.
“To be honest, in the past they just used to be thrown away,” admits Jean-Christophe Amaré, deputy technical manager at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. His frankness perfectly sums up a situation that was still in place three years ago at one of the Principality’s most prestigious tennis clubs.
Today, things have changed. For the last three years, the Monte-Carlo Country Club has been working with eco-organisation Ecologic, a partner in the Balles Jaunes (yellow balls) project launched by the French Tennis Federation. “When we heard about the operation, this company was working in partnership with the FFT and that’s how we got in touch,” explains Jean-Christophe Amaré.
The system that has been put in place is tried and tested: two one-cubic-metre bins are used to collect used balls, not only from tournaments and teachers, but also from club members, who have been made aware of the ecological initiative.
An optimised lifecycle
Even before ending up in the recycling bins, the tennis balls will already have had several lives within the Monegasque club. “The used balls from our different tournaments are used primarily by our teachers, our tennis school and our members,” explains the technical manager. This optimisation even extends outside of the club: “We also have partnerships with smaller clubs in the region, such as the Cagnes-sur-Mer tennis club, for example. We give them away free of charge out of kindness and above all out of friendship.”
Sadly, the lifespan of a tennis ball is remarkably brief. In professional matches, it doesn’t last more than seven games. For amateurs, “I’d say two or three matches,” estimates Jean-Christophe Amaré. This rapid obsolescence generates considerable amounts of waste, particularly at events such as the prestigious Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Art, transforming sport’s waste
Madrid-based artist Amova has chosen to turn that particular issue into an artistic theme. Her ‘Tennis Reborn’ exhibition, shown at The Art Trotter in Monaco at the beginning of May, offers a contemporary take on the ‘readymade’ concept.
“What happens to a tennis ball after the match is over? Where does it go? What is it made of and how long does it last?” Amova turns these questions into “sculptural poetry,” in the words of the organisers. The exhibition, organised in parallel with the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, initiated an unprecedented dialogue between art and sport, transforming sports waste into elegant conceptual works.
An approach that sets the standard
The Monte-Carlo Country Club’s initiative is part of a broader policy of environmental responsibility. “Like the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tournament, the Monte-Carlo Country Club is fully committed to biodiversity and ecology,” emphasises Jean-Christophe Amaré.
This awareness, although it’s taken a while to emerge, demonstrates a change of mentality in the Monegasque tennis world. The balls, which are made of pressurised rubber and felt, are now finding uses beyond their intended function, whether in industrial recycling projects or in original artistic creations.
Like Amova’s works, which are now to be found in private collections of art and tennis enthusiasts around the world, these initiatives prove that sporting excellence can go hand in hand with environmental responsibility, even in the highly regulated world of elite tennis.