NEW YORK – Play conditions have been a hot topic for the first few days of the US this year, with many players focusing on court speed and ball condition.
The problem is that players seem to disagree.
“The speed of the court, I actually couldn’t remember when it started slightly faster than before, when it started out slightly faster,” Novak Djokovic told Flushing Meadows on Wednesday. “But for a few years it was roughly the same speed.”
The US Open is the only major that uses different balls for men and women’s events. Both use Wilson, but the men’s “extra duty” balls are slightly heavier. Whether court speed and ball play speed can be affected by temperature, wind and humidity, but no matter the weather, players always seem to be against each other. John Isner once told reporters he didn’t really see the difference between Clay Court and Grass Court.
The US open organizer claims the ball is the same as last year, with the court being moderately fast. Alexander Babrik called them “pretty fast” and Alex de Minauru said they were “quickly and slid down,” but Australian Jordan Thompson had other ideas after his first round victory.
“Usually it’s much faster,” he said. “But I won’t call these courts promptly this year.
“The ball feels really soft, especially when it gets cold. Clearly, when it gets cold, it slows down, but even on the day, it feels like the ball feels softer and heavier.
No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula said some players are better than others at examining court speed.
“I think some people really fit it (and) maybe (and) some people just don’t care,” she said. “They feel this way I don’t know.
“I don’t know what’s right or wrong. You might think it’s probably a good thing not to rethink it, but you might think that lack of consciousness could potentially hurt you if you change your decision or don’t notice it. But I think it just depends.
Dahlia Kasatokina said she thought the ball was flying.
“The surface is pretty fast,” she said after her first round victory. “The balls are not fuzzy at all. The opposite is. They are becoming rocks. The more you play, the more difficult it is, and the more interesting it is, they’re completely broken.
“In normal conditions, when the ball gets old, it becomes softer and it becomes more difficult to make a winner. Here it is, it’s like flying, boom, boom, boom.”
Respected data analyst and coach Craig O’Shannessy said players are often the worst judges.
“Because that’s all about their personal preferences,” he told ESPN. “When they say it’s fast, it should be written in “fast for them” or “slow for them.” Players from certain game styles, Spain, Argentina and South America will enjoy a slower surface. If the ball is a ball that bouncing back more and the courts aren’t behaving like that, you may feel that it’s different at the same speed and low.
De Minaur said the ball played differently in every summer event in North America.
“A lot of players, we were scratching our heads. We played this ball at the US Open because we don’t understand. Gees, we never felt that we couldn’t control it.
“So it feels great to be here. It feels like I’m in a comfortable state. It’s obviously quick and slid away, but I’ve always enjoyed it.”
Djokovic said he was discussing the condition of the ball with his fellow players.
“Many players think it’s consistent with the ball that was ultimately used in the US Open Series tournament.
“It’s good to hear, and we’re immediately seeing immediate joint injuries that we’ve seen. There was an unfortunate tendency for injuries. I think last year or two years ago, we’d have to be taken clearly seriously.
O’Shannessy said the speed of the court will vary depending on how much tennis is being played.
“I’m working with Gabriel Diallo here, but I’ve practiced in a lot of courthouses, including Ash. “Some people are faster than others, a lot of that depends on how much wear they’re getting and how much play they’re actually doing.
“When you ask players, the courts also have to introduce the preface faster and at what time? What was the temperature? What was the wind? And you’ve started to get a better answer. But when you ask players, it’s very related to them.”
Pegra said all courts at Flushing Meadows play differently.
“The backcoat is much faster than Ash,” she said. “Ash is a little slower. Almost, a little. Armstrong is always a little faster than Ash. I’ve definitely played on many of these courts, and they’re definitely not the same.
