US Open: Top players around Iga Swiatek criticize balls in Flushing Meadows

The other balls are “terrible,” Swiatek said at the press conference. “Also we can’t get these balls in Europe, or in fact if we buy them in the store they are completely different than the tournament balls.”

There was also criticism from Craig Tyzzer, the longtime coach of Ashleigh Barty, who has since retired. “The US Open needs to change the ball for women,” Tyzzer said.

Eurosport expert Justine Henin explained that it also depends on the playing style of the individual women. “Someone like Iga hits the ball more like a man,” said the Belgian. “So she wants the ball to be heavier.”

However, she added: “As soon as you don’t feel quite so well and there are other problems, everything becomes a big deal. And that’s maybe what’s happening with the balls at the moment.”