What do servers look for when examining which balls to throw out before serving?

Question

They always have 3 balls in hand that they examine before serving. They tend to throw away one pocket one and serve the other

Answer 1

Hah...good question with no one good answer. If you are going to try and hit a fast serve the pros are looking for a ball with little or no fuzz. Park players are looking for a bald ball that still has pressure. If pros are going to hit an off pace ball or heavy spin they MIGHT go with a ball that has been ruffed up (Remember the pros are hitting with new balls and using a ball that has been scuffed will possibly change the consistency of the ball and variables are what they try to eliminate). A park player almost always will do that.
The various surfaces like clay and grass might also mark up the ball or make it damp and not wanted. On hard courts the pros know 99% of the time the balls are equal and use the time deciding to think about the next serve and not so much about which ball is best....

Answer 2

that is a good question, they look for the pressure of the ball, and how much fuzz is on it. They like the most fuzz because it will grasp onto the racquet better.

Answer 3

They pick the harder ones. The serve will be faster.