Paula Badosa has called for a change in tennis because the current tennis balls create far too many problems for players.
We've seen this topic get brought up by multiple players in the past few months. The new tennis balls used supposedly were designed to slow down play in an effort to make matches more interesting as slower conditions generally make matches longer.
While that makes sense financially for the sport and could be justified by that, it's not very good for players. They have been complaining about the 'heavy' tennis balls in use.
They get bigger after only a few rallies, making it impossible to really hit a winner, so players are pushing harder and harder, and it's hurting their bodies.
We've seen an increase in shoulder, wrist, and elbow injuries that some attribute to the change in tennis balls as players push their bodies further and further to mitigate the heavy tennis balls that drag out points.
The shift to a very attacking and modern type of tennis made the rallies short and snappy, which doesn't make for good watching.
Paula Badosa is the recent player who spoke out against the tennis balls by inserting herself in a conversation started by long-time Portuguese player Gastao Elias. He called out the ATP for the balls used on X.
I demand @atptour to pay for all the physiotherapy I will need after playing with these balls they are making us play with. I’ve been on tour for many years and I’ve never seen anything like this. THIS IS INHUMANE!
A couple of fellow players chimed in, including Tennys Sandgren, Marius Copil, and WTA player Lauren Davis, who blames her shoulder injury on the balls. Paula Badosa joined in, explaining how it's been a problem for years on the WTA.
Agree! The issue is not only ATP, unfortunately… With the WTA we are having the same problems for years as well. We need a change from both sides.
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