"I had to completely change the way I was hitting the ball" - Taylor Fritz doubles down on contentious tennis ball debacle

Taylor Fritz crashed out at the US Open in stunning fashion, being pegged back from what had seemed like an imperious two-set lead against Francisco Cerundolo in the third round on the way to an emphatic collapse. Since then, he has been in the news over his opinions on the tennis balls, not at all satisfied with what he has to deal with in practice.

Following the conclusion of the US Open, Fritz was eager to get back onto the training court and get himself in prime condition ready to compete once more in Asia. However, there was one problem bugging him, and this led to a lengthy statement on X. This was to do with the practice balls not being similar to the competitive balls they use and the negative impacts they have on tennis players like himself.

He would delve into that topic more when invited on The Big T Podcast. "The different balls, you know, I think that’s the thing that I’m more okay to deal with than just, like, not being able to practise in conditions that are similar to what we play in," he said.

"Okay, that’s just really frustrating because it really demotivates me a lot when I’m trying to, like, just get better in practice, because, like, what’s the point? The second I go to the tournament, like, yeah, cool. Like, we can work on... Yeah, we can work on, like, I can be serious and motivated about the fitness aspect of it.

"But I know that, like, I can’t get excited about how I’m hitting the ball because the second I go to another tournament, we change the ball. And now it’s like I have to relearn how it’s going to feel off my racket. So that’s the biggest issue."

He was aware that a difference would be there between the balls, but not to the extent it has been. "It’s not a secret that the Wilson US Opens have had different versions of Wilson US Opens for quite a while," he stated. "But I’ve never thought it was that big of a difference to where it’s really going to be... Like, I thought the difference wasn’t that big to where you could practise with one, you switch to the other, it’s not the end of the world.

"I was just, like, mind blown coming from the Open back home to using the case just that we had just at USTA Carson. Like, you’re so... You know exactly how it feels after playing weeks on tour. Like, I’m so obviously so focused during the Open. I know, like, exactly how that feels off my strings. It just... I was really excited. I was building. I felt like I was, like, building off of a lot of the good things I was doing at the Open."

He compared it to his second round match, where he dropped just two games against Mattia Bellucci. He was unable to practise to that level because of the balls. "That match I played in the second round was... I played a really good match. I was excited to keep working on specific things. So I was very frustrated when I just started hitting and it just felt like I couldn’t hit the ball. I had to completely change the way I was hitting the ball. Oh my God. So, just, like, have a normal practice."

With the Asian swing fast approaching, a new brand of tennis ball will again be utilised, this time Yonex, something hard to get in the USA as Fritz found out. "So, well, that’s the thing. The day after I lost, we started looking into how we can get the ball for Tokyo and Shanghai, which is a Yonex ball. Unfortunately, it’s not available in the US, so we had to, like, special order them. So I just got them yesterday."

This will give him a vital opportunity to get some know-how on the Yonex balls. "So I did have to rough it for a couple of days. But luckily, luckily I was... Luckily, I was, so I guess, ahead of it. Yeah, to get the new balls that I will be able to practise this whole week before leaving to Laver Cup with the Tokyo-Shanghai ball, which is nice. But yeah, it’s been frustrating. Dunlop has the same issue. The balls that you get from the store are just so insanely dead. They’re just... They’re nothing like the balls in matches."

One of the consequences of this is that more force is being needed to be put through to exert more power, lending itself to a higher risk of injuries. This is not just from the point of view from the 2024 US Open finalist, but from Challengers and Futures participants.

"They’re hurting their elbows. That’s how you get injured. That’s how you are unable to prolong a career," he commented. "And I want to make it clear. I think a lot of people took the tweet in a way that, like, by the way, if you’re an amateur player, like, you shouldn’t care, to be honest."

This is not information to be worried about for amateur or causal tennis players, more to do with the professionals. "Like, I think... And I guess, like, I’m not telling people, like, don’t go to the store and buy these balls. Like, you’re not a professional tennis player. Like, it doesn’t make a difference. To be honest, because they’re so soft and dead, you’ll probably hit better if you’re not a very good player. The balls at the Open come off your strings. They are harder to control.

"But, like, it’s better tennis because the risk-reward is more rewarding. Like, you don’t need to throw your whole body into a shot to, like, hit a rally ball, which it feels like with the dead balls. So I’m not saying in a way, like, the balls are bad. Don’t go buy them. You’re an amateur player. Like, at the end of the day, it’s not going to really change much. But I was speaking specifically as a professional to, like, the inconsistencies. It’s really... It’s just really frustrating as, like, a pro to just have to deal with, like, not being able to practise in similar conditions to what you’ll actually play in when it matters."

The American may be taking matters into his own hands as he looks to deal with this problem. One of which could come in the form of changing rackets. "I’ve thought, as the balls, I think, have gotten a bit softer, which I think they have, except with the exception of actually the Wilson US Open balls that we’ve been playing with on tour and we played with at the Open. We played with them in Cincinnati," he explained.

"With the exception of those balls, I think it’s gotten a lot, like, softer and deader. And I’ve definitely considered changing some stuff around to just give me a bit more, like, pop, because my racket is 18x20. It’s very light. I need to work very hard to generate pace. And when the conditions are very slow and dead, it feels like I can’t swing hard enough to do enough with the balls when I don’t have, like, pace to work off of."

There are times where he wishes for a change of set-up. "It just feels like I’m swinging as hard as I can to not really generate that much. So there’s definitely been times in, like, specific swings where I’m like, 'God, I would love to have a 16x19. I would love to have a different string pattern just to play with this specific ball because I just can’t do anything with it.'"

He then touched upon the conversation over the court speed debates. Players such as Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev have previously stated their opinions on the matter, outlining how the overall court speeds at tournaments are getting slower.

Fritz was on the same wavelength with this, but not because of the courts themselves. "So, I mean, I’m so on board with, like, you know, people say the courts are getting slower. I don’t think the courts are getting slower. I think the courts are the same speed as they’ve always been. I just think the balls are slower."