Alexander Zverev has revealed he has spoken with companies about the quality of tennis balls currently used on the Tour.
The world No.2 says he has noticed a change in the ball quality and speed in recent years, which has resulted in longer points being played during matches. Daniil Medvedev recently reiterated his frustration with the balls and openly admitted he has ‘zero pleasure of being on the court’ following his first match at the ATP Finals on Sunday. In recent months, other players have also highlighted concerns about a potential link between injury and the type of balls used.
Zverev, who is a member of the ATP Player Advisory Council, has been told that the change in ball quality is linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of the pandemic, companies opted to use a cheaper material to save money which then had a knock-on impact.
“I kind of went into search mode a little bit. I asked companies and I asked about the production of the tennis balls,” Zverev told reporters on Monday after beating Andrey Rublev in his opening match at the ATP Finals.
“Since COVID, all the companies, it’s not only one company, so Dunlop was always the best tennis ball kind of, but they’ve gotten a lot worse. I always loved the Penn balls. They’ve gotten a lot slower.
“The reason is because of COVID, the companies tried to cut costs and they’re using a different rubber material now.They’re using a different material for the tennis balls, which makes the tennis balls between 30% and 60% slower on average compared to what it was before COVID.”
The two-time Grand Slam finalists believe the balls have got worse and they are not as consistent. However, the issue hasn’t affected Zverev too much this season who has won a Tour-leading 67 matches. He is the only player to reach the third round or better at every Masters 1000 tournament, winning titles in Rome and Paris. Against top 10 players since January, he has won six out of 12 matches played.
“What happens now with the tennis balls is that the air and the pressure leaves the tennis ball because of the material. The material doesn’t keep it inside. It’s not only that the ball fluffs up, but the air and the pressure of the tennis ball drops drastically.” He explains.
“That’s why a lot of players now have elbow issues. A lot of players have wrist issues. That was not the case about 10, or15 years ago.
“I don’t have a reason to complain. I’m No. 2 in the world. I’ve had a great season. I’m not complaining because of my results. I just think in the long-term players’ health is a big issue with the tennis balls we have at the moment.
“They’re a little bit like a shuttlecock. They fly very fast through the air the first two, or three meters, then they just slow down. There’s nothing that keeps the ball alive, which was very different about five, six years ago.”
This week Zverev is aiming to win the ATP Finals title for the third time in his career. He is one of 10 players in history to have won the event on multiple occasions.
