Plenty of WTA players complained at last year's US Open that men and women use different balls at the event, which is why from this year, we're going to see them use the same balls.
Last year's US Open saw women using different tennis balls than men, creating controversy as plenty of players didn't like it. Iga Swiatek publicly spoke out against it, explaining how they are really hard to control because they are lighter than usual.
Being light means, they can be quite erratic flyers, especially with today's game mostly revolving around powerful hitting. Swiatek herself is one of those power hitters, and she struggled with them, all the way to the trophy.
We have really powerful games right now. It’s not like 10 years ago. Right now we play powerful, and we kind of can’t loosen up our hands with these balls. I know that many players complain, and many of them are top 10.
This year will see the event use the same ball for both draws, as confirmed by tournament director Stacey Allaster. Holding a press conference at the event, the director confirmed the change explaining that it doesn't matter to them what balls are used.
Every year, the WTA informs us of what Wilson US Open ball they would like their athletes to play with. Last year during the tournament, we had some players that wanted to change the ball, and I met with some of those players and said, 'Look, talk to [WTA chairman and CEO] Steve Simon. Talk to your player council representatives. If the WTA wants to change the ball, no problem, Wilson can accommodate that.' It's no extra cost.
We'll see what the reception will be, as Allaster reiterated that it's the players' decision. There has been plenty of discourse surrounding the balls used at events also in 2023, as Jessica Pegula was one of the players that complained too, along with the likes of Maria Sakkari, so we'll see what happens this year.
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