The basic purpose of a Tennis ball machine isn’t to recreate a tennis match but as a substitute for a tennis partner, who consistently plays the shots. Dependent on how advanced the machine is, topspin, backspin, ball depth can all be altered to give a good work out.

A Tennis ball machine will give you consistent shots which is what you need when setting a drill/practicing. With a range of ball machines on the market it can be quite difficult to decide, the main competition being Lobster, Tennis tutor, Tennis tower and Playmate. The main differences between the more expensive ball machines and the cheaper ones are the level in which you can alter the settings. You get what you pay for! the more expensive machines allow you to change ball direction, ball depth, spin and speed with some having built in pre-set programs giving you an instant work out. Each Tennis ball machine comes with information on the functions available allowing you to make an informed decision.

Ball machines use pressureless balls and should always be used with new/newish tennis balls for reliability, as the point of a ball machine is consistency.