Roland-Garros 2023: But why all this fuss around the balls?

The balls, chestnut tree of the players

“We had wondered about the reviews that had taken place at the timerecognizes today Bertrand Blanc, Global Senior Director of the American brand. The ball had been tested by many players including Rafael Nadal himself, who had approved it.He also won the 2020 edition“.

For a first, Wilson had been served: a Major on clay in October, with heavy and humid weather… Inevitably, the conditions played a lot on the perception of this new ball. Three years later, the controversy has experienced no resurgence and at Roland, the ball is less public talk. “It’s the same as in 2020smiles Bertrand Blanc. This proves that the initial bullet was the correct one. We just faced in 2020 particularly adverse weather conditions“.

If it is less media, the debate on the balls remains one of the most discussed topics on the circuit, between the players and the technical cells, as Daniil Medvedev confirmed again at a press conference. In New York last year, Iga Swiatek criticized the use of different balls between the men’s and women’s circuit. In Melbourne, this year, it was a small festival. “The ball does not bounce” (Auger-Aliassime), “The ball is of lower quality” (Nadal), “The more you play rallies, the more it grows and plush and therefore slows down” (Djokovic).

“There is a problem since the Covid, all the balls are slower, there is no longer any doubt. I’ve been saying it for two years, it’s not newhe explained. As soon as they got that big (he mimics a ball), I said to my trainer: ‘What is this shit?’ Now it’s starting to be said everywhere, but I’m sure they’re not the same as before.“The hypothesis of a change of rubber by the manufacturers, just to reduce the bill in this period of energy crisis, holds the rope on the circuit.

Is a single ball possible?

Yet, swear, spat, Wilson hasn’t changed anything in particular about the making of his balls. “For Roland-Garros, the specifications of the FFT were very simple: to develop a real clay ball that is lively. In no way were we asked to weigh down the ballsexplains Bertrand Blanc. At the US Open, the same ball has been used since 1978. It has not been modified since, its technical characteristics and its composition are strictly the same, with the only aesthetic exception of the logos.“

So why all the fuss about balls? More than the intrinsic qualities of each, the wear and tear of the players in the face of too frequent changes is also to be taken into account. Wilson, Babolat, Dunlop, Slazenger, Penn: the brands that equip ATP tournaments are numerous and share a gigantic market, with tournaments with geographical specificities to be taken into account. Result: the balls change from week to week, the sensations of the players with it.

“I think the biggest problem on the circuit this year is the constant change of ballsinsisted Tsitsipas in Miami. We talk about it between players. Balls should stay the same in most tournaments, especially on hard courts. It benefits us all and protects us from injury.“A perfectly legitimate request to listen to Bertrand Blanc, questioned about the chimera of a single ball on the circuit.

“Why not ? We are open to all discussionsexplains the Global Senior Director of the American brand. This will require finding the right business model with tournaments and tennis governance bodies, as tournaments rely heavily on sponsorship deals with brands today. The health and wishes of the players are paramount, this must guide the decisions of the equipment manufacturers and the governing bodies of the sport. Every week, professional players have to change cities, continents, and they have to adapt their equipment and their benchmarks. We tend to underestimate all of this. When you play tennis, you understand how disturbing it can be.” And we understand how hopeless this can be for players, in constant search of new sensations. The balls, a niche for systematic controversy… and for a long time?