Tennis - US Open 2010 - Heavy ball for the men, lighter ball for the women!

Just zombieing through the match between Andy Roddick and Janko Tipsarevic, when a comment from one of announcers woke me up.

'Oh, another thirteen ball rally...in the match I.BENESOVA M.SHARAPOVA the rallies were on average 3 to four shots'

The commentator went on to explain that this year the US Open has two different sets of balls a heavy ball for the men, lighter ball for the women!

This got me thinking, lighter balls quicker points, shorter matches less jarring, less knee injuries, ankle injuries. Also a reduced chance of traumatic or acute injuries, due to a sudden force, like muscle sprains and strains, ankle and wrist sprains, shoulder separation, hamstrings pull or tears or even Achilles tendon rupture.

Great for the women, who already play best of three sets, get the same prize money as the men who in turn play five set matches.

The men have already complained that the balls get pretty fluffy after 3 or 4 games, which is basically less then half the duration they should last until changed for new balls, which is nine games, therefore one is led to assume they get even slower and more difficult to put away.

This turns what already is a grueling tournament because of the unforgiving surface it is played on, hard cement court, into the pinnacle of pain and suffering for men players.

If not immediately but surely in the short run we will be hearing about several players being on the injury list and in the long run a few more hip replacements at the early age of thirty or forty should be no surprise.

A while ago Nadal told the media in London, "For me, the worst surface is hardcourt; not grass, not clay, hardcourt is very difficult, is very, very aggressive for the ankles, for the knees, for the back, for everything."

The young man must know something from his experiences at the Australian Open and US Open.

This brings me to players concerns about injuries, the need for shorter schedules, the reduction of certain tournaments from five set finals to three sets and how officials seem to support and try to help the players.

Since hard-courts are more jarring and very likely responsible for general joint abuse style injuries, because players basically rely on the muscles and joints for stop and start with a level of violence which constantly borders injury, how come do the cognoscenti at the US Open choose a heavier slower ball for the men's tournament?

Another question is, if everybody in the official world, ATP, WTA, ITF, cares so much about the players well being, why in heavens are we still playing on hard cement courts at all?!?

Sergio Cruz 

Questions About Tennis Anyone? Feel free to ask, if I can not answer myself, I will research and find the solution to your question. Write directly to me at, cruze (@) bluewin.ch

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