New racquet and string releases are exciting, but also somewhat expected. A new line of balls, however, is almost as rare as winning the calendar Slam. Coinciding with its five-year partnership agreement with the ATP tour, and after extensive testing with current and former players and top coaches, Dunlop has produced the new ATP tennis ball.

“When the ATP Tour chose us as their official ball, we immediately began work on this new line, which includes the two balls that will be used more than any other ball on the ATP Tour, our ATP Extra Duty and ATP Regular Duty balls,” said Kai Nitsche, V.P. and General Manager for Dunlop Sports.

The super-premium ball features the HD Pro Core, engineered to create a consistent performance. The extra duty ball is covered by HD Pro Cloth, which is woven and dyed for maximum visibility and extended play; the regular duty features Fluoro cloth covering ideal for clay and indoor courts.

This week the ATP Extra Duty ball made its tour debut in the United States at the New York Open. Any tournament that doesn’t already have an existing ball sponsorship with use the Dunlop ATP ball, making it the most widely used on tour. It’s also the official ball used at both the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals and NextGen ATP Finals.

“This is a significant moment for the brand, and we are delighted to become the Official Ball of the ATP Tour and Nitto ATP Finals,” said Masahiro Asahino, Head of Racket Sports for SRI.

“Dunlop is often referred to as the ‘No. 1 Ball on Tour’ and is used at more ATP tournaments than any other brand; the multi-year partnership is a testament to this and recognises our commitment to developing a new ATP Tour Official Ball of the highest standard and giving players more consistency on the Tour.”

The Dunlop Championship Extra Duty and Regular Duty balls will now have the ATP branding, but maintain its same makeup of a Max Core and Durafelt HD Cloth. The mid-range ball is endorsed by the ATP Tour and is targeted at club and recreational players.

The Dunlop ATP is available at U.S. retailers starting February 15.

ATP Rotterdam (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

• See Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, Karen Khachanov and Stefanos Tsitsipas live on Tennis Channel Plus beginning Monday 2/11 at 6:30 am ET.

ATP New York (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

• Watch Frances Tiafoe, John Isner and Alex de Minaur live from New York starting Monday 2/11 at 11:00 am ET

WTA Doha (Mon - Sat 2/11 - 2/16)

• Starting Monday 2/11 at 7:30 am ET, catch live coverage of the Qatar Total Open featuring Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova and Angelique Kerber.

ATP Buenos Aires (Mon - Sun 2/11 - 2/17)

• Catch the action from the Argentina Open including Dominic Thiem, Fabio Fognini and Diego Schwartzman. Live coverage begins on Tennis Channel Plus on Monday 2/11 at 12:30 pm ET

USTA College Match Day 3 Lake Nona - (Sat - 2/16)

• Tennis Channel Plus features live coverage of USTA College Matches in Lake Nona on Saturday 2/16 4:00 pm ET