Iga Swiatek criticizes ball choice at the US Open: "Flies like crazy"
Iga Swiatek commented on the ball policy at the US Open on the sidelines of the Cincinnati WTA 1000 event. And sharply criticized the decision to play with other balls for the women.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Aug 19, 2022, 07:37 am
Iga Swiatek will be the big hunted in New York City in a few days. The mediocre performances of the last few weeks - for the high demands of the world number one from Poland - change little: if you want to win the title at the US Open, you probably have to get past the two-time Grand Slam winner. If there weren't a factor that could well become a major disadvantage for the Polish player, who is so aggressive on the field. Namely the ball choice at the last major event of the year.
Unlike in Australia, France and Great Britain, the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the year will be played with different balls for men and women. For the former, lighter gaming equipment is made available in New York City. A topic that has caused a stir in the past. Graig Tyzzer, Ash Barty's coach at the time, once commented that the former world number one would never win the tournament because of the balls. The US Open is now the only Grand Slam event that the Australian has not been able to win in her short but highly successful career.
Swiatek knows numerous players who complain
Iga Swiatek, who replaced Ash Barty at the top of the world rankings in the spring, also doesn't like the playground equipment in Flushing Meadows: "To be honest, I don't like them. I've heard a lot of players complain about it because we're different balls than the men," said the Pole on the sidelines of the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. "The thing is, they're lighter. They fly like crazy. We (players) have a really powerful game today. It's not like it was 10 years ago," said Swiatek. And you couldn't really go through with this game with those balls.
Accordingly, the world number one is anything but alone with her complaints. "I know a lot of players who complain and a lot of them are in the top 10," said Swiatek, who believes players like her would be far more prone to making mistakes with these balls. For the fans, on the other hand, this is not particularly nice to look at, as Swiatek explained. In summary: Today there would no longer be any reason why the women play with other balls.
Swiatek: Does it need more pressure?
"I don't know why they're different than men's. 15 years ago women probably had some elbow injuries because the balls were heavier and they switched to women's balls, but now we're so physically prepared I don't think so that that would happen," explained the Pole. "I feel like it's really hard to control them, but everyone has the same conditions, so we're trying to deal with that. I don't understand why they're different, to be honest."
In the meantime, the player side has also taken this topic to the top of the WTA, as Swiatek explained: "Paula Badosa and I talked to Steve last year about switching to men's balls, I think not that that's a problem because it's still the same company." In any case, the topic is not completely over for the Pole, as the words of the world number one suggest: "Maybe we should put a little more pressure on."