– The fluffy balls cause criticism on the tennis tour
The balls in professional tennis are becoming increasingly heavier and puff up quickly. This creates more spectacle and longer games, but it also leads to more injuries, players complain.
Published: October 28, 2023, 3:56 p.m
Holger Rune doesn’t play completely pain-free in Basel either – it’s not clear whether the balls are also to blame.
Foto: Freshfocus
The season finale in tennis is also the time of minor aches and major injuries for the players. After many months of hard training, competitive matches and many kilometers on the courts, the athletes’ bodies are exhausted.
The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz canceled the Swiss Indoors at short notice. Switzerland’s Dominic Stricker had to undergo knee treatment during his round of 16 win against Casper Ruud. And the Dane Holger Rune swallows painkillers so that he can continue to perform at the top level.
But recently it wasn’t just the long tennis year, the inflated calendar and the constantly increasing level that took a toll on the athletes’ physique, but the balls. «The balls have gradually become heavier. It kills our bodies,” said Canadian Vasek Pospisil. “Almost every tennis player says this season that the balls are getting bigger and bigger. “That kind of thing is not good for the shoulder or the elbow,” says Daniil Medvedev.
And the long-time dominator Novak Djokovic also criticized: “There is certainly a connection between the recent injuries to the wrist, elbow and shoulder and the frequently changing balls.” The Serb therefore demanded: “I am in favor of selecting a ball that is used in all tournaments.”
Clear regulations, frequent changes
The regulations governing which balls are used at the highest tournament level are complicated and detailed. In short: The organizers of the tournaments are allowed to decide independently which brand of ball they want to use for their event. All that is specified is the size of the play equipment and the weight. This may only deviate from the norm by 3.4 grams; a fluctuation in size of half a centimeter is permitted, no more.
The big problem for the players who are now criticizing the ATP is not primarily the constant changing of the balls, but their quality. The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who has repeatedly been set back by injuries, said at the beginning of the year at the Australian Open that the quality of the balls had become worse. «After a few hits, the ball loses pressure. It’s harder to hit it with the right spin.”
This statement confirms the basic tone of many athletes: The balls tend to become heavier, they puff up more quickly and therefore have to be hit with more force over the course of a game – or the game becomes slower. This leads to longer rallies and more spectacle for the spectators, but also to more wear and tear on the athletes. You have to hit harder or run longer.
Always the same ball? Ruud thinks that’s unfair
Things are apparently no better at the Swiss Indoors either, as confirmed by young Swiss talent Mika Brunold. The 19-year-old failed to qualify and then reported balls that had fluffed up within a short time. For example, free points with the service were much more difficult to obtain.
Some athletes are now demanding that in the future only one model be played at all tournaments throughout the season. That would at least save the constant adjustment to the different brands and properties of a ball. Dominic Stricker, among others, said that he didn’t think this was a bad idea.
However, Casper Ruud, who lost to Stricker in the round of 16, told this newspaper that the single model solution would advantage some players and disadvantage others. He said: “I personally don’t get along with a model on the tour, but luckily for me it’s only used in one tournament. What if the ATP now decided on this model and played with it at all events in the future? It would be a huge disadvantage for me.”
For Ruud, the problem with the many injuries is not primarily the balls, but the overcrowded tournament calendar. The best players in the world rankings are obliged to compete in the majors and the ATP 1000 events. And it is not impossible that even more events will be added to the calendar in the near future. “That’s enormous, and at some point it’s just too much,” says Ruud.
More from Swiss Indoors 2023Tobias Müller wrote his first article for the Basler Zeitung in 2011 and has been working as an editorial staff member since 2018. He mainly deals with topics from athletics, football and recreational sports. More info
Found an error? Report now.
1 Comment
2023-10-28 13:56:21
#kills #bodies #fluffy #balls #criticism #tennis #tour
