Alexander Zverev recently stated the controversy surrounding the balls used by the ATP Tour lately. The German felt that playing with the current balls was physically challenging for the pros, despite having little to no trouble winning his first match at the year-end championships on Monday, November 11.
In his opening round-robin match at the 2024 ATP Finals against Andrey Rublev, Zverev won 6-4, 6-4 in 1 hour and 13 minutes without offering a single break point on his serve. The World No. 2 informed the Turin media after his victory that the Dunlop balls being used at the tour level right now are fluffed up.
With his remarks, Zverev implied that elbow injuries are becoming more common because it is now more difficult for the pros to end rallies quickly because the ball is slower due to low pressure. He continued by asserting that this wasn’t the case ten to fifteen years ago.
He talked about it and said: “Yeah, the ball is a big subject. Actually, because I’m on the player’s council, the ball was a very interesting subject to me, as well. I kind of went into search mode a little bit. I asked companies and I asked about the production of tennis balls. 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. I just generally think in general, it’s not only one company, but in general, the balls got a lot worse and a lot slower. They’re not as consistent anymore. They don’t last as long anymore.”
He further said: “Before even a Dunlop ball, why did I love it? Why was a Dunlop ball so great when they were new? They were very fast through the court, and then they got bigger. When they got bigger, they were still flying through the air because the air inside and the pressure inside didn’t leave. The ball just fluffed up. What happens now with the tennis balls is that the air and the pressure leave the tennis ball because of the material. The material doesn’t keep it inside. It’s not only that the ball fluffs up, but actually, the air and the pressure of the tennis ball drops drastically.”
Zverev concluded his discussion and said: “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, or 15 years ago. I don’t know if I explained it well or understood it. I was very interested in the tennis ball. 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 the results. I just think in long-term, long run, 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, or six years ago.”
Alexander Zverev in 2024
Now the world no.2 (career-high), the German played his last match on the 11th of November when he overcame world no.8 Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At the moment, during this season the German has a 67-20 match record. Zverev has won 3 titles in 2024 in Australia, Rome and Paris. The German reached the final at the French Open and Hamburg.
Alexander Zverev will face the world no.29 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round Robin on Sunday at 2:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual head to head record is 6-2 for Zverev.
Alexander has won 3 titles in 2024 in Australia, Rome and Paris. Alexander got to the final at the French Open and in Hamburg (Hamburg Open).
Alexander won 24 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts and 8 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Alexander Zverev |
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Alexander Zverev in 2024
Currently ranked no.2 (career-high), Alexander played his last match on the 11th of November when he defeated world no.8 Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-4 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Presently, during this year Zverev has achieved an overall 67-20 win-loss record. Zverev clinched 3 titles in 2024 in Australia, Rome and Paris. Alexander was the runner-up at the French Open and Hamburg.
Alexander Zverev will play the world no.29 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Round Robin on Sunday at 2:00 pm on CENTER COURT. Their actual record is 6-2 for Zverev.
Alexander conquered 3 titles in 2024 in Australia, Rome and Paris. Zverev was the runner-up at the French Open and in Hamburg (Hamburg Open).
Zverev won 24 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts and 8 on indoor courts. (See the list of his titles)
Alexander Zverev |
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