Paula Badosa next to voice her angst over use of different tennis balls for men & women at the US Open
Paula Badosa recently took to Instagram to call out the disparity in balls used for men's and women's matches at the US Open. Last week, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek ignited the conversation around the same, pointing out how the use of lighter balls for women's matches is an impediment to the increasingly fast-paced gamestyles on the WTA tour.
On her Instagram story, Paula Badosa posted a picture of the official balls for the 2022 US Open. Badosa indicated that the balls allocated for the women's game are in fact meant for clay or indoor courts, while the ones designated for male players are ideal for fast hardcourts in New York.
"PS: We are playing on hard court," Badosa captioned her story.
Tell'em https://t.co/zZINud0I30
Iga Swiatek, who possesses an aggressive gamestyle similar to that of Badosa, recently elaborated on how this variation in balls affects on-court performance. In a press conference in Cincinnati, the Pole explained that lighter balls tend to drift astray when hit with power, thus causing more errors.
She revealed that this forces players to string their racquets to unusual tension levels; something that could pose potential injury concerns.
"The thing is, the balls are lighter," Swiatek said. "They fly like crazy. We have really powerful games right now. It's not like 10 years ago where girls, except Serena, played slower. Right now we play powerful, and we kind of can't loosen up our hands with these balls. We make more mistakes, for sure. So I don't think if that's like really nice to watch visually. I don't know why they are different than men's ones."
Iga Swiatek doesn't like the fact that the US Open series is played with lighter balls, or that there's a difference in the balls used for men's tennis and women's tennis.
"Honestly, I don't like them. I have heard many players actually complaining, as well." https://t.co/o3pK2lEbrh
Players like Madison Keys and Daniil Medvedev, however, favor these Wilson balls over others owing to their greater toughness and consistency.
"It starts pretty fast, and I think it's one of those balls that actually stays pretty consistent throughout until ball change," Keys said in her presser in Cincinnati. "In my opinion, most of the time they actually get a little bit smaller. They don't get as fluffy, so they never really slow down, which is great for me."
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results
"When the balls get older, so when it's seven, nine, so when you play like fifth or sixth game or eighth and ninth game, these balls don't lose that much spin because they go a little bit smaller and they go bald in a way," Medvedev said in his post-match press conference in Cincinnati.
Daniil Medvedev echoing Madison Keys about the greater consistency of the US Open Wilson balls.
"I like that they are fast. And when they get older, so when you play like fifth or sixth game or eighth and ninth game, these balls, in my opinion, they don't lose that much spin." https://t.co/caRi42MCCF
Players hit the practice courts ahead of the US Open
With less than a week to go for main draw matches to begin at the 2022 US Open, the practice courts at Flushing Meadows are abuzz with action. Four-time champion Rafael Nadal was seen practicing with Taylor Fritz at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Spaniard is returning to New York for the first time since clinching the title in 2019.
Six-time winner Serena Williams is sweating it out on the practice courts ahead of her final campaign at the US Open. She was seen practicing with World No. 3 Maria Sakkari. Defending champion Daniil Medvedev and 2012 winner Andy Murray have also begun their preparations for the final Grand Slam of the season.
Grand Slam Champions are in arrival mode 👋 https://t.co/hj0XYTh7zT