Tweet
Word that the balls used on the ATP Tour and in the majors had changed first spread as a cacophony of whining. Daniil Medvedev to Sasha Zverev the gnashing of teeth could be heard, "The balls are dead!". Zverev claimed ATP authorities had admitted that supply chain disruptions during the pandemic caused manufacturers to switch to cheaper materials for tennis balls, and that they've stuck to those even after things returned to the new normal.
Roger Federer described the effect on a podcast with Andy Roddick, although Fed focused more on court speed because, I suspect, that's what he can influence during the Laver Cup. "You have Reilly Opelka with perhaps the best serve in tennis today, hitting heavy kick and Casper Ruud is teeing off, hitting the return in his strike zone. Now, Casper can move back, but still ... "
Now, we're hearing how players are adapting. Felix Auger Aliassime described how players are adjusting in another podcast. "After a couple of rallies, the ball is not bouncing" because the cheaper felt fluffs up quickly. Guys are switching to more powerful rackets that hit more through the court but with less shape. You have to hit through the ball right from the return or it's not going to go. It's not going to have an impact on the player." An Example: At a recent event, perhaps Stockholm, Medvedev sent his racket out to be restrung, not at a different tension, but with different types of strings - switching from hybrid to all copoly. That's pretty much unheard of.
FAA also noted how the heavy, kick second serve, which has been a staple on the ATP for years, has suddenly become vulnerable. "Part of this is that new players coming up have been seeing kick seconds for years, so they're accustomed to them. But also, the ball simply doesn't jump as quick or high any longer. Players have to develop more variety on their second serves."
FAA also said, "Spin simply isn't as effective any more." Fed's take is that there is "less variety. Sinner, Alcaraz they hit out on every return, they rarely block or slice returns." This amplifies the trend toward power baseline play becoming the de facto standard. Fed bemoaned the lack of contrasting styles. Fed, "You'd have the attacker vs the retriever and those were the best matches." He proposes more variety in court speed amongst tournaments.
#
Roger Federer described the effect on a podcast with Andy Roddick, although Fed focused more on court speed because, I suspect, that's what he can influence during the Laver Cup. "You have Reilly Opelka with perhaps the best serve in tennis today, hitting heavy kick and Casper Ruud is teeing off, hitting the return in his strike zone. Now, Casper can move back, but still ... "
Now, we're hearing how players are adapting. Felix Auger Aliassime described how players are adjusting in another podcast. "After a couple of rallies, the ball is not bouncing" because the cheaper felt fluffs up quickly. Guys are switching to more powerful rackets that hit more through the court but with less shape. You have to hit through the ball right from the return or it's not going to go. It's not going to have an impact on the player." An Example: At a recent event, perhaps Stockholm, Medvedev sent his racket out to be restrung, not at a different tension, but with different types of strings - switching from hybrid to all copoly. That's pretty much unheard of.
FAA also noted how the heavy, kick second serve, which has been a staple on the ATP for years, has suddenly become vulnerable. "Part of this is that new players coming up have been seeing kick seconds for years, so they're accustomed to them. But also, the ball simply doesn't jump as quick or high any longer. Players have to develop more variety on their second serves."
FAA also said, "Spin simply isn't as effective any more." Fed's take is that there is "less variety. Sinner, Alcaraz they hit out on every return, they rarely block or slice returns." This amplifies the trend toward power baseline play becoming the de facto standard. Fed bemoaned the lack of contrasting styles. Fed, "You'd have the attacker vs the retriever and those were the best matches." He proposes more variety in court speed amongst tournaments.
#