In March 2024, Novak Djokovic-led PTPA filed a lawsuit against the sport’s governing bodies, accusing them of anti-competitive practices and a disregard for player welfare. The Executive Director of the PTPA, Ahmad Nassar, had then claimed that tennis is “broken“. He stated, “Behind the glamorous veneer that the Defendants promote, players are trapped in an unfair system that exploits their talent, suppresses their earnings, and jeopardizes their health and safety.” How does it affect players’ health? Frequent ball changes are linked to wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries. Recently, Serena Williams‘ ex-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou highlighted their impact on players’ careers.
Tournaments use different balls based on surface, weather conditions, and sponsorship deals. Indoor, clay, and dry-heat courts each require specific ball types. For example, the balls used for indoor events like the ATP Finals will be a bit different from the ones used on the clay courts of Roland Garros or even in the dry heat of Melbourne The ATP’s partnership with Dunlop (2019–2028) covers nearly half of its events, but tournaments can use approved alternatives. Grand Slams use different brands: AO (Dunlop), French Open & US Open (Wilson), and Wimbledon (Slazenger). Patrick Mouratoglou noted that frequent ball changes, driven by commercial deals, can impact player health, as discussed in the PTPA case.
According to the Frenchman, “I agree 100% that we have to take care of the health of players. The balls that change too often. This is not normal. I understand that every tournament has its own interest in terms of sponsorship. But for money reasons, we are putting the health of players at risk, and for sure, a lot of injuries come from constantly changing balls. So this is something that we need to solve for sure.” Polish tennis star, Hubert Hurkacz‘s coach, Craig Boyntononce stated that even the quality of the best balls has come down in the last few years. He also suggested that they should not be just picking media-based balls. Instead, he urged the authorities to seek the “actual best ball.”
Boynton even said that lower-quality balls can feel rocky during the initial stages of the matches and get fluffed up like “little kittens” after a few games. This makes the players try to muscle the ball more often by swinging with more force, and this is what leads to the injuries. Adding to the same note, Mouratoglou also said in his recent IG post. He warned that frequent ball changes increase injury risk, as varying ball hardness affects tendon adaptation, forcing constant adjustments.
Some other experts feel it’s a bit natural for the players to be sensitive to the changes, and this issue with the tennis balls has always been a constant challenge in the tennis world. Four weeks, four different balls! Imagine the scenario once… what had the players said on this issue even before PTPA brought up this issue, though?
Vasek Pospisil highlights player concerns about constant ball changes
Fluffy balls, which have been getting increasingly slow and heavy, have caused a few troubles for the tennis players on multiple occasions. Be it Stefanos Tsitsipas’ shoulder issues, Vasek Pospisil‘s (PTPA co-founder ) elbow issues during his playing days, or Taylor Fritz’s concerns about wrists, players have showcased their concerns multiple times. Interestingly, Aussie star Nick Kyrgios once even claimed. “Changes of balls every week finally got to Novak’s wrist. The ATP really needs to do something about the problem. Players suffer all the time.“
Rafael Nadal also once complained about the “dead” ball in Brisbane. Russian star Daniil Medvedev once had even taken a direct jibe at the Dunlop ball. He said, “I think that these balls are not good for hard courts. They get very fluffy, and as I say, it’s a big shock to play them with your racquet.” Not only them even the current world number 2, Alexander Zverev, has also mentioned in the past how this small furry object can be a “big problem” for all the tennis players. Even the German thinks this is one of the primary reasons why a lot of players now have elbow and wrist issues.
On the women’s side, Marketa Vondrousova and Iga Swiatek have also been very vocal on this topic in the past. According to the PTPA’s co-founder, Pospisil, who once complained about playing with the “heaviest balls in history,” several other players are also a bit unpleased with all these issues. In a previous interview, the PTPA co-founder said, “Players don’t talk about it openly. They are in the locker room. Everyone has got — he has wrist pain. I mean, how many wrist surgeries have we seen this year? Guy popped his elbow — I mean, yeah, I can name several players.”
According to him, since the players bring a lot of value to this business, they must have an impact on the decision-making, especially when it directly relates to their health. What are your thoughts on this, though? Drop them in the comments!
The post “This Is Not Normal,” Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Trashes Hazardous Tennis Rules Expressing Concern Over Player Health Amidst PTPA Lawsuit appeared first on EssentiallySports.