Modern tennis balls are generally made in a fluorescent yellow color like the ball pictured above (called "optic yellow"). Yellow and white are the only colors approved by the USTA and ITF. Tennis balls must conform to certain criteria for size, weight, deformation, and bounce criteria to be approved for regulation play. The ITF defines the official diameter as "more than" 2 and 1/2 inches but "less than" 2 and 5/8 inches.

The most important test for amateur players is the bounce test, as tennis balls begin to lose their bounce as soon as the tennis ball can is opened. Most Tennis players prefer tennis balls with good bounce, extra duty, and can be used on all types of courts (e.g., lawn, clay, or concrete). To test a tennis ball for bounce, it is dropped from a height of 100 inches (2.5 m) onto concrete and must bounce back up between 53 and 58 inches (1.35 - 1.47 m). This test is assumed to take place at sea-level and 20° C / 68° F (high altitude balls have different characteristics when tested at sea-level).

Tennis balls are filled with air and are surfaced by a uniform felt covered rubber compound.

The ball is to weigh more than two ounces but less than 2 and 1/16 ounces. The ball is made from pure rubber, which is then mixed with 14 to 17 chemicals to get the proper consistency. Approximately 85% of the ball weight is the rubber/chemical mix. Over 90% of tennis balls are produced in Southeast Asia where the natural resource is abundant.

Each year approximately 300 million balls are produced, which contributes roughly 32.3 million pounds of waste in the form of rubber that is not easily biodegradable. Historically, tennis ball recycling has not existed and the most common use has been to cut the ball into two semi-spheres and attach this to the bottom of chairs in schools, nursing homes and the like. Balls from the Wimbledon All England Championships are now recycled to provide field homes for the nationally threatened harvest mouse.