The first big change to the industry was the introduction and wide-scale use of tennis balls in other colors besides the traditional white. Though there had been a history of using red felt (for increased visibility) since about 1930, white was the dominant color choice for both tournament and recreational play.

The shade of tennis ball that is synonymous with the modern game—optic yellow—was introduced by Pennsylvania Rubber Company in mid-1969 and advertised as a visibility aid for playing longer into the evening. By the following year, other companies, such as Slazenger, also began offering that shade in addition to white balls. To market their new offerings, companies clearly advertised and designed their cans to advertise what was inside.

Another manufacturing change to cans, still used today, is the pull-tab metal plate under a re-usable plastic lid. In July 1972, Penn, who had recently shortened their name from Pennsylvania, began advertising their new easy-to-open can in the trade magazines. The other tennis ball manufacturers quickly followed suit.

Though metal cans are still manufactured today, Wilson introduced the plastic can in 1984. They advertised it as the “new Wilson Squeezable Pressure Pack,” a transparent plastic tube so consumers could feel the freshness of the tennis balls contained within simply by squeezing the can.