Abstract: The butt of a tennis racket is made concave so as to have a recess into which the periphery of a tennis ball may seat when the butt is pressed against the ball, and within this recess, a section of fabric having countless tiny hooks is located so that, when the ball is seated within the recess, the hooks snag the curly pile periphery of the ball and thereby releasably attach the same to the tennis racket for retrieval purposes. One aspect of the invention involves the way in which improved retentive engagement is made between a hook fabric and its curly pile counterpart, such improvements residing in the way in which the two fabrics are slidingly rubbed against one another to increase their snagging interengagement, even though the two objects employing the fabrics are simply pressed together in a simple direct manner, such as when pressing the butt of a tennis racket against a tennis ball to retrieve the same.