Aryna Sabalenka, the current “numero uno” in women’s tennis, has affirmed that the balls used in Beijing aren’t perfect, as a few male tennis players put forward. But she went on to state that she has no qualms with them, as she is faring quite well right now.
The frequent ball changes in the ATP tour have come under severe scrutiny from the players. Zizou Bergs, Stan Wawrinka, and Taylor Fritz have come out in the open on social media to advocate for balls of the same quality to be used for all tournaments. The latest to comment on the issue is Daniil Medvedev who compared them to “a grapefruit”.
Have been dealing w wrist issues since beginning of USO series cause of ball changes✌🏻we went 3 different balls in 3 weeks https://t.co/018jWjFPTC
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) September 30, 2023
When Aryna was asked how she felt about the balls being used in Beijing after her second-round match, she stated, “Yeah, that’s actually true. Like after a couple of games, I cannot imagine what’s happening with the men’s game because the rallies are longer and the ball’s getting even bigger…..,” thus adding weightage to Medvedev’s view.
Views of players and facts concerned with the stance of Aryna Sabalenka
Top players from the Men’s game, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have been vocal in the call to address ball changes for different tournaments. Players are getting skeptical that these sorts of frequent ball changes could lead to wrist injuries and take their toll in the long run.
Medvedev, when asked about the balls used in Beijing after his Round of 16 match, said, “As soon as you play some shots with them, they go very big, much (fluffy)… it becomes like a grapefruit..” he replied. It almost gets impossible to hit a winner and every point virtually becomes a 30-shot rally, according to him.
Carlos Alcaraz had similar views, but he chose to put it down to the adaptability of the Tennis player. “They change balls in every tournament or almost in every tournament is a different ball. You have to get used to that…..,” he added. Iga Swiatek has also been adamant about using the same balls for all tournaments.
It is against this backdrop that these comments of Sabalenka have been made. Though she wasn’t displeased, she was quick to point out “Because of that, the game was getting slower. It’s tough. It’s actually tough conditions. I don’t know, but it seems to work good for me, so I’m like, It’s okay….” She added that she would prefer different balls for this surface.
There were discussions a few years back that the ATP/WTA wanted to “slow the game down” to have longer points for fans. The balls have been getting incrementally heavier and surprise surprise, it’s killing our bodies. Almost every player I’ve spoken to.. [1/2]
— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) September 2, 2023
..feels the same way. I’ve never seen more wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries in the locker room. If these changes to the ball don’t start getting reversed, it’s only going to get worse. Please start listening @atptour @wtatour. Player injuries are bad for you too. [2/2]
— Vasek Pospisil (@VasekPospisil) September 2, 2023
Vasek Pospisil one of the co-founders of the Professional Tennis Players Association((PTPA) has chosen to lend a voice to this fact. To be fair to the players, different balls for different tournaments affect their bodies and increase the spate of injuries. Hopefully, consistency prevails in addressing this issue, and ATP and WTA take appropriate measures to produce fruitful results, sooner rather than later.