My forehand broke a tennis ball

I was playing tennis with Gene today and after Gene crushed one to me, I hit a huge flat inside-out forehand and the ball literally popped. When we retrieved it and tried to play with it again, the ball seemed super flat. Upon further inspection we realized the ball had been split under the felt by the impact of the forehand. I've played a lot of tennis but I've never split a tennis ball. I am definitely stronger than I've been in the past, but I didn't think much of anything could destroy a tennis ball.