Rafael Nadal, who uses a Babolat racquet, has said the Wilson balls are slower and heavierGETTY IMAGES
The French Open is "using a new ball produced by Wilson, which has been described as larger and heavier by players" compared to the Babolat balls used previously, according to Kamakshi Tandon of TENNIS.com. Player Dan Evans said, "Maybe they got it a little wrong with the balls. It's tough to get that ball to go anywhere. ... That ball's a bit too heavy, I think." Player Kei Nishikori, who won against Evans, agreed and said, "For sure there's less bounce. Especially today it didn't bounce." Rafael Nadal said the Wilson balls are "super slow, heavy" (TENNIS.com, 9/28). U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem also "lamented the change, saying the Babolat previously used at Roland-Garros was 'perfect' for topspin and his 'favorite ball.'" CNN.com's George Ramsay notes this is the first year of a five-year deal between the French Tennis Federation and Wilson, which "made the company the official ball" of the French Open (CNN.com, 9/29).
BOUNCING SOULS: Tennis Channel's Lindsay Davenport said, "You can see those balls are not bouncing up like we are accustomed to seeing here in Paris. The ball's playing much lower this French Open" ("French Open," Tennis Channel, 9/28). NBC's John McEnroe said the talk about the new tennis balls is a "bunch of boloney." McEnroe: "It's the same thing every year whenever they switch balls. They're too heavy, they're too light, they fly too much, they don't fly enough. That is so typical of players as they get wound up before a big one." NBC's Mary Carillo said, "They used to use Babolat balls here. Obviously, Babolat is also the racquet company that Rafael Nadal uses so he's going to be partial." Carillo said it is "these conditions that contribute to Rafa's complaints," because the tournament is usually played at the end of May, beginning of June, and "now it's played in cold, heavy, wet conditions" ("French Open," NBC, 9/27).
