The Bald Tennis Ball

At sport, everything is measured: speed, strength, endurance. But there is something
that remains under the radar, despite affecting millions of people: hair loss.

The tennis player and Olympic medalist Anabel Medina and the specialized dermatologic clinic IMR, have joined forces topresent The Bald tennis Ball, a campaign withoutprecedent in women's professional tennis created by Agencia Kids. The initiative takes the form of a tennis ball with a bald spot. An image simple, direct, that speaks without words of what many women - and also men - live in silence, and that in the case of professional sport affects not only their life, but also their performance.

One of every three women will suffer some type of alopecia during her lifetime. And at high performance, the risk factors multiply: physical stress, sun exposure, extreme hairstyles, hats, rubber bands, sweat... everyday elements that weaken the follicle without being noticed. Until it is noticed and little by little, it starts to make its way.

Players of the WTA received a canister with three balls. Two normal. One bald. Like the data. They tested different balls with different states of alopecia, from a small bald spot in the hairline to one with a more visible bald spot. As they played with them, some smiled, others felt uncomfortable. But all of them noticed the difference. And many said something as simple as it was powerful: "I wouldn't use it. It feels weird. It seems unbelievable how hair affects dynamics." And that's how alopecia often feels: strange, out of place, and sometimes embarrassing. Anabel Medina highlighted the initiative "Mental health is fundamental and if you are insecure, it changes your game. Concentration must be 100% in the match and it can be a big nuisance. I think that from now I'm going to pay much more attention to this aspect when training and preparing players."

Each player also received a free consultation with dermatologists who are experts in sports hair health. Because raising awareness is only the first step. Preventing and treating is what really changes the game.
The Bald Tennis Ball is not just a ball that puts the spotlight on alopecia and stress. It's a symbol. A reminder that sport also needs to talk about hair health as part of not only physical but also mental preparation. It's an initiative that aims to take hair care as something beyond aesthetics, just as it happens with sun protection, especially in sports.