When Donuts & Tennis Balls Collide

EVER WONDER WHY DONUTS HAVE HOLES?

There are actually quite a few theories out there. One is that they wouldn’t cook evenly without them, leaving a gooey, raw mass in the center. Another is that they took a page from the bagel playbook, due to their rising popularity and added convenience with holes in their center. Some even theorize it was to save ingredients or make them easier to digest. Whatever the true reason may be, one thing is for certain: that hole in the center means less donut and fewer calories than there otherwise would be given the same circumference.

You’re probably asking yourself, what in the world does this donut concept have to do with tennis? As the accompanying image on this post suggests, we are introducing a new tennis ball can overcap that resembles the shape of a donut. “Okay,” you may be thinking, “but why in the world would Wilson do that?” The answer simple: just like a donut has fewer calories and leaves a smaller footprint on your stomach thanks to its hole, this new overcap reduces the amount of plastic by half and leaves a smaller footprint on the environment after it has been used.

 

INTRODUCING THE WILSON ECO OVERCAP

Unveiled at the US Open, this Eco Overcap is already rolling out across Wilson’s key tennis ball franchises. As old inventory runs out, these new overcaps will become, both in store and online. So no need to be alarmed if you open up a case of tennis balls you ordered from Wilson.com to find a gaping hole in the overcaps. No, it’s not a defect! It’s just a little nicer to the planet.

And, fear not! If you want to reuse the can after opening, the overcap still prevents the balls from spilling out. Balls will naturally lose bounce and consistency over time, but this overcap does not accelerate that decrease in performance. It actually does not affect the performance of the balls in any way, shape or form.

 

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

When it comes to sustainability, Wilson is committed to driving change across product categories. For tennis balls specifically, we have removed the labels from our practice ball cans and created the first fully recyclable performance tennis ball packaging with the launch of Triniti. It’s just our way of recognizing the need to be more sustainable in an industry that sorely needs it, and another step of many we can take to provide solutions that address sustainability alongside performance for players worldwide. This also proves that inspiration can come from anywhere, even if it’s from delicious, unhealthy masses of fried and glazed dough.