There’s a lot more to tennis balls than you think. In fact, they have been caused some controversy on the ATP and WTA Tours in recent times and some players are not happy.
When Iga Swiatek or Carlos Alcaraz crunch home a big forehand winner or show off their touch with a drop shot to get the crowd on their feet, they do so thanks to an incredible feel and ability to read the ball.
On the ATP Tour, the official ball manufacturer is Dunlop, but they are not mandatory and each tournament can dictate what balls are used, so commercial deals are done between event organisers and tennis ball companies. This means the balls often differ from week to week which is causing issues, particularly at Indian Wells.
Fluffy tennis balls causing big debate
Emma Raducanu claimed that the balls were ‘heavier’ in Indian Wells
Several players during Indian Wells complained about the Penn balls fluffing up after a short period of time, which has heightened debate.
Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka hit out at Indian Wells Masters Tournament Director Tommy Haas and the ATP Tour on social media after practicing before the tournament, where he was knocked out in the first round.
“Question: Is not normal that in 2024 at @BNPPARIBASOPEN (Indian Wells) one of biggest tennis tournaments in the world , we have to do are 2nd practice with old balls??” Wawrinka wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Why is this a negative to the players you might think? Well, the fluffed up balls are more draggy, so serves, returns and all shots are slow, relatively of course. The ball also bounces less too, so there is a science behind all of this.
This is why players will generally pick the ball with less fluff when they are offered multiple balls before a serve by the ball kids.
It’s believed the move to slower balls and courts was made a long time ago, early this century, in a bid to have longer and more exciting rallies.
The switching of balls affects the ATP and WTA Tour and the Miami Open, which begins on Wednesday live on Sky Sports Tennis, will see a switch from the Penn balls to Dunlop for both men and women.
“The conditions are very different in Indian Wells compared to Miami,” said Emma Raducanu, who lost in California to Aryna Sabalenka in the third round.
“It’s very humid. The balls are very heavy. They are different, which I don’t think is great for any of the players’ wrists, but especially mine.”
Tournament director responds to complaints
Tournament Director Tommy Haas has defended the Penn balls
Former world No 2 Tommy Haas has been in charge of Indian Wells since 2016.
Haas defended the use of Penn balls and thinks several factors contribute to a different feeling for the players when they take to the court.
“I don’t think it’s a conscious decision. It’s been the same ball for many years. Some players will enjoy the ball, some won’t,” Haas told Tennis Channel.
“There’s been speculation of what the ATP and WTA should be doing long-term, maybe having one ball for the entire year.
“For us what’s important is making sure we have a quality ball and Penne have shown us they are giving us the best quality ball they have. I come out here a lot to test balls and test the speed of the court.
“The court is faster than last year and when the balls are new, and when the ball is new, with altitude the ball goes through the air faster, then when the court gets gritty, when you have longer rallies, the ball puffs up a bit.
“It’s a bit hit and miss. Some players love the ball, some will say something. When you’re a player, you will always find something to complain about.
“Some players have come from Acapulco or Dubai and now they are at Indian Wells, where it’s different every week. Then they go to Miami or Europe.
“You play at different times in the day too and once the sun sets it’s cooler. You can complain all you want but the best thing to do is figure it out and find a solution.”
Is switching of tennis balls causing injury?
Wrist injuries appear to have become more prominent recently and many players have alluded that the difference in ball use has contributed.
The variation in ball speed affects the way a player strikes the ball, particularly straining the wrist. On the ATP and WTA Tours, new balls are introduced after seven games, then every nine games.
Two of the greatest men’s players ever, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, have both voiced their concerns over modern tennis balls.
“The ball [at] that end of the first set was super big. It Was difficult to move the ball the proper way,” said Nadal after the Brisbane International in January.
“I think the ball gets too big sometimes, especially under these humid and night conditions. I don’t know what’s going on with the ball but it’s dead. With the new balls, of course, the situation changes a lot.”
Djokovic suffered a minor wrist injury ahead of this year’s Australian Open and has previously called for one type of ball in all events on the tennis calendar.
“There is certainly a connection between frequent injuries of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder with ball changes,” said Djokovic in October 2023.
“I am absolutely in favour of choosing one ball with which we will play all ATP tournaments. It is different & more difficult with the Grand Slams because each of the biggest tournaments we play, negotiates separately which sponsor they will have for the balls, but this also happens on the ATP tour.
“Every tournament has the right to negotiate. However, we simply have to find a way to unify, so that in each category on the ATP tour we have one ball to play with, depending on the surface. Sometimes that change of balls happens three times in three weeks depending on where we play, & it affects the health of the players & the joints themselves.
“In that sense, I support the players complaining & asking the ATP to find a way to resolve it. They have to find a solution. I didn’t see that the ATP issued any statement regarding the player’s complaints, & these are things that are incomprehensible to me.
“When you have tennis players from the top who are trying to reach you in public and say ‘Hey, let’s talk about that topic,’ you have to make a statement, address them and say ‘Okay, we understand, let’s sit at the table, let’s talk’.”
Raducanu spent eight months off due to surgery on both her wrists and her left ankle
Britain’s Raducanu had surgery on both wrists April last year and was out for eight months before returning to the sport this year.
Raducanu started practicing in August but revealed she began to feel pain after “eight or nine days” and only started hitting again in November.
“I honestly think it’s really bad for us, the way that we have to switch balls every single week and especially when you’ve gone through surgeries,” she added.
“I know a lot of players who are struggling with wrist problems, too. I don’t understand why every other sport is pretty much the same, whereas in tennis it’s different week to week.”
Daniil Medvedev is one of the most vocal players on tour
Men’s world No 4 Daniil Medvedev, who is one of the most straightforward players when talking to the media, described Dunlop’s tennis balls is being “like apples” in March 2023 and thinks fluffy balls are a “big shock” to play with when it hits the racket.
Medvedev, who is in the quarter-finals of Indian Wells, also criticised the heavy tennis balls in Asia last October.
“You hit the ball 10 times and you have the feeling that every time it becomes bigger, bigger and bigger. It swells a lot. I don’t want to feel shoulder pain for the rest of my life. I hope a solution can be found,” he said.
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