Back to the Tennis Newsfeed

The Great U.S. Open Ball Debate of 2022

The Open is the only Grand Slam tournament where women use different balls than men, and the Wilson ‘regular-duty’ ball has gotten into some players’ heads.

The tennis balls used by women at the U.S. Open have played faster than those used by the men.Credit...Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times

Tennis players are the Goldilocks characters of sports.

The balls are too big, or too small. The courts are too fast, or too slow. It’s too cold, or too hot, or too sticky, or too sunny.