Players blaming injuries on subpar tennis ball quality, Zverev not alone

Germany’s Alexander Zverev has once again complained about the balls used in big competitions. There have been a lot of players who complained about the balls being used on the tour in the recent past. Those include the likes of Norway’s Casper Ruud and Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

Zverev is one of the most high-profile players vocal about the quality of balls used in competitions. The reigning world number two in men’s tennis, representing Germany in the United Cup, has once again complained about the balls used at the competition. He was quoted in a report where he revealed how he is dealing with an elbow injury and also suggested that more players suffering from similar injuries because of the balls being used on the tour.

"I didn't serve since Turin. I had a little bit of an elbow issue. I think my speeds still need to go up a little bit," he said while talking to the media. "It's quite sore. I'm working on it every day. It's just what it is. I think the balls are not helping. They're dead. We've been having this discussion for I don't know how long. A lot of players nowadays have elbow issues, wrist issues, because that kind of subject, which wasn't the case maybe 15, 20 years ago, or 10 years ago when I started. I'm working on it. Hopefully it's getting better every day."

This is not the first time that Zverev has complained about the quality of the balls. He did something similar earlier in 2024 as well, stating that the balls have now ‘gotten a lot slower’ and that the balls ‘don’t last as long’ as they used to be in the past.

"They've gotten a lot slower," said Zverev earlier this year. "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 per cent and 60 per cent slower on average They don't last as long, they change from one batch to another, and they lint more. The air and the pressure leaves the tennis ball because of the material. The material doesn't keep it inside.”