“Beyond frustrating” – Taylor Fritz calls out scam involving tennis balls days after US Open heartbreak
Days after ending his US Open campaign, Taylor Fritz recently called out a scam centered around tennis balls. The American weighed in on the differences between the balls used in the Grand Slam and their retail equivalent, sending a strongly worded message about the poor quality of the latter.
Fritz enjoyed a dominant start to his campaign on home ground. The ninth seed kicked off his week in New York with a comfortable win over compatriot Darwin Blanch, before ousting Mattia Bellucci 6-0, 6-1, 6-1 in his second round encounter. However, the 28-year-old’s run was abruptly cut short in the third round as he was ousted by Francisco Cerundolo.
Now, days after his exit from the US Open, Taylor Fritz launched into a ‘massive tennis ball rant’ on X. The American began by explaining that he enjoyed the balls that were used at the Grand Slam and the events before it, emphasising that he got a good feel for the Wilson US Open balls. He then went on to explain that his experience using the retail equivalent of these balls was ‘miserable’. Questioning the quality of the retail balls, Fritz wrote.
“The amount of effort I have to use to just produce a regular rally ball with these balls is insane. I’m having to throw my whole body into shots and swing out of my shoes just to produce a solid rally ball. Beyond being frustrating, it feels like it’s creating bad habits. I’m having to adjust the way I hit just to compensate for a ball that behaves nothing like the one we use in competition.”
He added that this issue has continuously cropped up in the past year and a half, writing,
“I’ve noticed such a significant difference between retail balls from both Wilson and Dunlop and their tournament equivalents, which are supposed to be identical, that it completely changes how you want to construct points and take risks on shots and just play points in general. It’s disappointing that this has started to feel normal. Training is a lot less enjoyable, and a lot less productive, when you’re spending it practicing with balls that are so different from what you’ll use when it matters.”
