Not All Tennis Balls Are Equal

Keep your eye on the ball. That’s the mantra for tennis gamers, from novices to whoever lands within the finals at this yr’s United States Open.

But every ball will likely be seen solely briefly as a result of in match play, six balls are used to start out a match, then ditched after seven video games; for the remainder of that match, the balls will likely be changed after each 9 video games. (The Open typically shares about 100,000 new balls and goes via about 70,000 every year.)

Those life spans, punctuated by the chair umpire’s name for “new balls, please,” are essentially transient as a result of the balls take a beating. In the course of a ball’s court docket time, the pummeling causes them to get fluffier as their hairs shake free. This slows them as they journey via the air, making it simpler to manage placement however tougher to blast a winner.

The balls are modified recurrently to keep up consistency of play, but additionally used balls really feel heavier on the racket, requiring extra wrist, elbow and shoulder torque to generate energy. Changing them reduces the danger of damage.

Players are aware of the best way the balls degrade.

“When the balls are getting old, it gets tougher to hit winners and make easy points, especially on slower courts,” mentioned the eighth-ranked Andrey Rublev of Russia.

The growing older course of leads gamers to hunt smoother, less-worn balls for a primary serve to achieve extra velocity. They search for fluffier balls for the second serve to realize extra management and to sluggish their opponent’s return.

Then the gamers want to regulate once more when the brand new balls arrive.

“I’m conscious of the ways the balls change, and I have the count in my head until the new balls,” Francisco Cerundolo, the world No. 20 from Argentina, mentioned.

Jessica Pegula, an American ranked No. 3, added that whereas the followers may not concentrate on the shift, the gamers have been pondering “very strategically” concerning the change.

The commonest maneuver is switching rackets when new balls are launched.

“I change my racket at every ball change,” mentioned the 18th-ranked Lorenzo Musetti, of Italy, explaining that the strings lose some stress over the course of 9 video games and the brand new racket will allow a participant to capitalize on the smoother, slimmer ball to hit them laborious whereas nonetheless sustaining management. (Roger Federer used to change rackets one recreation early so he’d be comfy with the brand new racket when the recent balls arrived.)

Changing rackets has grow to be extra frequent prior to now 20 years, mentioned Patrick McEnroe, an ESPN analyst and a former professional, though he famous that Ivan Lendl was the pioneer in making it a constant follow timed to the brand new balls. In earlier eras, gamers used intestine strings and needed to change rackets extra regularly, McEnroe mentioned, however fashionable gamers are extra meticulous about each element of their recreation.

Also, fashionable artificial strings last more, however they might be previous their peak effectively earlier than they break. So whereas some gamers change rackets for brand spanking new balls as a result of they really feel it’s advantageous, others merely use the balls as an automated reminder to seize a recent stick.

“With more explosive frames, rackets and strings that can grab the ball more to create spin, players can now feel the slightest change in tension,” McEnroe mentioned. “There’s definitely more awareness of adapting when the new balls come in, and I think some players tinker more with their tactics as a ball goes through its life span.”

In addition to switching rackets, many gamers change their recreation plan when the brand new balls arrive.

The sooner balls give the largest benefit to the server, who can pound first serves or skid them out large to win fast factors, McEnroe mentioned.

Musetti mentioned it was essential to serve effectively with the brand new balls: “I try to be more aggressive.”

Not solely are the serves coming in sooner, however the returns are additionally more durable to manage, mentioned Giuliana Olmos of Mexico, who’s ranked 18th in doubles. “When they first put new balls in, they tend to fly a lot. The other balls are old and heavy, so it’s a drastic difference and can be hard to adjust. I just remind myself and my partner and try not to go for too much, then you can start hitting normally again after a little bit.”

Echoing complaints different gamers (together with Rafael Nadal) have made concerning the current high quality of the balls, Rublev mentioned this yr many new balls “are super tough to control in the first game. It feels like they’re breaking your wrist, and the balls feel like stones and fly without control.”

But even when the balls should not problematic, Cerundolo mentioned gamers used extra topspin on serve returns and floor strokes within the first recreation or two after the change. “If you hit the ball too flat, it may fly out.”

McEnroe mentioned that whereas the variations within the balls and within the string stress of the brand new rackets have been actual, they have been pretty small considerations for gamers expert sufficient to be at or close to the highest of the professional recreation. Still, the problem is in gamers’ minds.

“Anything that gives you a little edge helps, and whether it’s a reality or not almost doesn’t matter,” McEnroe mentioned, including that if gamers barely miss a shot after the introduction of the brand new balls, they might blame it on the change and subsequent time could swap rackets to allow them to manage their photographs higher.

“Players may be overthinking the differences with the new balls a little bit,” he mentioned, “but just because a lot of it is likely psychological doesn’t mean it’s not important.”