Paula Badosa has become the latest player to weigh into the ongoing debate about tennis balls. The Spanish tennis star said both the ATP and the WTA needed to do something after another pro, Gastao Elias, claimed the new conditions were “inhumane”. It comes just days after three other players claimed that the changing tennis balls were causing injuries.
Tennis balls have been a talking point in the sport this year, with players increasingly unhappy over the brands changing and the balls getting heavier. The issue has placed pressure on the ATP and WTA as stars continue to call on the tours to do something.
World No 366 Elias made a demand to the men’s tour on Monday, claiming that the ATP should pay for his physiotherapy. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) he wrote: “I demand @atptour to pay for all the physiotherapy I will need after playing with these balls they are making us play with. I’ve been on tour for many years and I’ve never seen anything like this. THIS IS INHUMANE!”
As other players like Tennys Sandgren shared their agreement, Badosa joined in the calls and said the issue extended to the women’s circuit too. “Agree! The issue is not only ATP unfortunately… With the WTA we are having the same problems for years as well. We need a change from both sides,” the former world No 2 added.
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Badosa has been injured for most of the 2023 season and only managed to play one Grand Slam tournament as a result. An abductor issue saw her pull out of the Australian Open before she returned in Doha. The 25-year-old has been dealing with a stress fracture in her back since spring, with the injury forcing her out of the French Open.
Since then, the only tournament she has played is Wimbledon where she retired in the second round. Badosa is hoping to return at the Billie Jean King Cup in November. But even with her limited schedule this year, the three-time title winner is aware that the tennis balls are causing issues.
Several players have complained about the same problem, with ATP star Zizou Bergs sharing an Instagram story questioning whether the balls caused a torn ligament in his left wrist after revealing that the injury left him unable to hit backhands. “I think it’s time to look carefully at the fact that many players are getting wrist injuries which could, possibly, be prevented by not changing every week of balls…” he wrote.
Three-time Major winner Stan Wawrinka reposted Bergs’ story in agreement. And Taylor Fritz revealed that he had some problems of his own because of the changing tennis balls. “Have been dealing w wrist issues since beginning of USO series cause of ball changes. We went 3 different balls in 3 weeks,” the world No 8 tweeted.
