August 18, (THEWILL) – Iga Swiatek has criticised the US Open organisers for using different tennis balls for the male players, a practice that “many players” have reportedly complained about, according to Swiatek.
The US Open is the only Grand Slam where the men’s and women’s competitions use two distinct types of balls, with the latter using lighter balls. Swiatek has urged for equality in terms of the balls that should be used, arguing that this could be detrimental to female players who smash the ball harder.
After her 6-4 7-5 win over Sloane Stephens at the Cincinnati Masters, Swiatek said: “We make more mistakes [with these balls], for sure. So I don’t think that’s really nice to watch visually I don’t know why they are different than men’s ones. Fifteen years ago probably women had some elbow injuries because the balls were heavier and they changed them to women’s balls.
“But right now we are so physically well prepared that I don’t think it would happen. I feel, it’s really hard to control them, but everybody has the same conditions, so we are trying to deal with that. I don’t get why they are different, honestly.”
During the North American swing of 2019, the WTA tour used several balls at various competitions. Today, the balls at the US Open are now being used in Canadian and American competitions, which marks a difference from previous years. Yet, this is discordant with the rest of the season, when male and female players utilise the same balls.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
