Each summer, Wimbledon uses a large supply of tennis balls across its tournament courts. A viral claim says more than 55,000 used balls become shelters for harvest mice every year. The historical conservation project was much smaller: it involved a limited number of balls and should not be confused with the tournament’s overall ball supply or wider used-ball arrangements.
The story traces back to a genuine initiative in 2001 involving Wimbledon and The Wildlife Trusts. Its aim was to provide elevated nesting refuges for the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus), a small rodent native to Britain. A hole was cut into each ball, then the ball was fixed to a post to create a refuge above the ground and reduce exposure to predators. The project supported wildlife organizations in Avon and Glamorgan, with another participating in Northumberland.
Accounts of the project put the number of donated balls at 350. That figure is on an entirely different scale from the tournament’s annual ball requirement: balls supplied for play are not the same as balls donated for wildlife refuges. Conflating those totals appears to have spawned the claim that tens of thousands of used balls become mouse shelters each year.
The 2001 Mouse Refuge Project
The harvest-mouse initiative was a small conservation experiment, not a recurring annual disposal programme. The reported donation of 350 balls describes the scale of the refuge project; it does not mean Wimbledon converted its full stock of used balls into nesting sites. The claim that more than 55,000 balls become mouse homes each year so conflates tournament supply figures with the much smaller conservation effort.
Used Balls and Wimbledon’s Wider Practices
The mouse-refuge project is separate from Wimbledon’s broader handling of used balls. Tournament supply totals describe balls provided for play, while resale and recycling are separate routes for used equipment. The 2001 project should not be taken as a description of Wimbledon’s routine or present-day ball-disposal system.
Using a ball as a refuge can support a targeted conservation effort, but it cannot replace suitable habitat. Harvest mice depend on environments that provide food and cover, while also offering material for nests. An artificial refuge can play only a limited role in wider habitat management.
The Harvest Mouse and Its Habitat
The harvest mouse is associated with dense vegetation, including tall grasses and reed beds, where it can build nests above the ground. Protecting and managing suitable habitat is basic to supporting the species. The Wimbledon-linked project illustrates one small, practical intervention: repurposing a limited number of used balls as elevated nesting refuges, rather than turning the tournament’s annual supply into mouse shelters.
