7 Most Expensive Tennis Ball Machines

As featured on e-commerce sites Amazon and eBay, and online stores Playmate, Sports Attack, Match Mate Tennis and Clarke Sports Tennis, the 7 most expensive tennis ball machines are ranked here according to their base price.

Rene Lacoste, the legendary French tennis player who co-founded the Lacoste clothing company in 1933 with compatriot Andre Gillier, was regarded as the one who also invented the tennis ball machine. Lacoste, nicknamed “the crocodile” (hence the famous logo emblazoned on his signature shirt that would later spawn a clothing empire), won 7 Grand Slam singles titles in the American, British, and French championships. He also won the Davis Cup in 1927 and 1928 as part of the French Team. He was also the Number 1 player in 1926-1927. According to reports from CNN and Prezi, this multi-talented man was also an engineer and a visionary. He devised a way for him to practice his tennis moves methodically and diligently. The “Lacoste Machine”, as his invention was called at the time, was crank powered and was operated by a person positioned on one side of the court. This person would turn a crank that would then fire a ball at each turn for a player to hit. After Lacosta’s retirement in 1930, he began mass-producing the machine that promptly became a part of the tennis history. This contraption soon became part of training for generations of tennis players to come.

Today, these tennis ball machines have evolved drastically. They now have different capacities. They can fire tennis balls automatically at different speeds and angles. Also, they can be remotely controlled and programmable via graphical user interface. Inevitably, these features and add-ons caused the devices to became a bit pricey. The most expensive nowadays is more than $11,000 as sold by Amazon. You may also take a look at the 10 most expensive tennis balls in the world.

Here’s a list of the 7 most expensive tennis ball machines. If you feel the need to practice that backhand as often as you need or perhaps planning to start your own tennis clinic, let this list be of help and read on. Technically, all products that are listed here are available at Amazon as the site showcases the most expensive ones.

7. Phenom II Club Series Machine

Manufacturer: Lobster Sports
Ball capacity: 250
Number of oscillation: 2 and random type
Warranty: 3 years
Price: $3,695
Available at: Amazon

The Phenom II Club Series Machine can be easily customized; its speed and feed rate, and the court drills could be adjusted to 18 shot locations (maximum).

6. Tennis Tower Professional Player

Manufacturer: Clarke
Ball capacity: 225
Number of oscillation: 2 and random type
Warranty: 3 years; parts and labor
Price: $4,135.99
Available at: Amazon

Tennis Tower Professional Player can easily be navigated; fire shots and spins are various and quickly adjustable. Other features available are player mode and a two-line program that allows to shoot the balls in 2 different directions. The package is available with an all-weather cover.

5. Match Mate SAM Coach

Manufacturer: Match Mate
Ball capacity: n/a
Number of oscillation: 7
Warranty: 2 years; parts and labor
Price: $4,475
Available at: Amazon

The Tennis ball Machine is not only made from different materials such as ABC, aluminum, and steel, but also has different features such as a ball feed remote controller, a digital control panel, enormous 30-inch ball ejection point, and built-in 6-shot or random oscillation. Even though it is one of the most expensive tennis ball machines it is also among the best-selling ones.

4. Ace Attack Tennis Machine

Manufacturer: Sports Attack
Ball capacity: 200+
Number of oscillation: adjustable
Warranty: n/a
Price: $6,298
Available at: Amazon (US customers only)

The Ace Attack Tennis Machine has a safety function feature which signals that it is being used when a light appeared. This machine has a low maintenance yet good quality because of its open-air design and steel construction. It gives ground strokes, as well as, different hand strokes and lobs, and more than 120 feet distance for its remote functions.

3. Playmate Ace

Manufacturer: Playmate
Ball capacity: 200
Number of oscillation: 1-3
Warranty: 3 years; limited parts
Price: $7,039.99
Available at: Amazon

The Playmate Ace is designed from quality materials and includes 200 ball capacity, a maximum of 3 oscillations, and a 2-function remote control. As one of the most expensive tennis ball machines, Playmate Ace can be used daily because of its easy and user-friendly functions and design.

2. Playmate Slam

Manufacturer: Playmate
Ball capacity: 300
Number of oscillation: 7
Warranty: 3 years; limited parts
Price: $8,260
Available at: Playmate Tennis Machines

The Playmate Slam, also known as the fastest ball machine in the world, is designed to have 300 ball capacity and 7 oscillations, thus serving at 120 MPH. It can be controlled via iPad/iPhone.

1. Playmate Genie

Manufacturer: Playmate
Ball capacity: 300
Number of oscillation: 7
Warranty: 3 years; limited parts
Price: $11,804.99
Available at: Amazon

The Playmate Genie, an up-to-date version of the Playmate small ball machine, is best used for practice purposes because of its easy-to-use control panel and a 2-function remote control.

The 7 most expensive tennis ball machines, as listed here, can be considered a bit expensive for the average folks, but private schools, gym owners, devoted tennis players or your friendly rich neighbor may benefit from the information on this list.