Change is the only constant. The ATP World No.2, Carlos Alcaraz, has been quite consistent with his training as well as his progression. Alcaraz became the first to achieve 60 tour-level wins in 2023. This happened after his glorious victory against the Italian wonder Lorenzo Musetti. Soon after, he made a few statements disclosing his insights regarding the difference in balls and their effect on the players at the China Open.

Players often familiarize themselves with a ball to have better control. However, this year’s China Open has been unpredictable from day 1. After a series of scheduling mishaps, many players, including Taylor Fritz and Stefanos Tsitsipas, mentioned that even the balls keep varying every week. 

Carlos Alcaraz on having a weird experience from day 1 at the China Open

The 2-time Grand Slam champ, when asked about his opinion regarding the balls, had quite a lot to say. Alcaraz, in his last match, won two consecutive sets defeating Lorenzo by 6-2 in both. The Spaniard has secured his spot effortlessly in the quarter-finals at the China Open. Despite his stellar performance, Alcaraz had a few concerns.

It is quite common for tournaments to use different balls. However, the variation in balls at the China Open is much more frequent.

“I felt it since the first training I did here in Beijing. It’s a difficult thing, but the tennis player has to get used to it,” said Alcaraz after his match, according to a report by Puntodebreak.

Even so, many players have been continuously complaining about the sizes of the balls. Alcaraz took a different stand than the others. In his case, the Wimbledon champ noticed the distinctiveness of the balls in Beijing from the very beginning of his training sessions.

“Here in just one or two games the ball becomes really different from the new ones. It’s a different game and you have to get used to it, but I felt it from day one.” (Translated via Google Translate)

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The Spaniard admits that the balls have been changing frequently in these matches. However, his outlook on the situation is very different from his peers. 

Difference of opinion among ATP stars

Alcaraz believes that adapting to different balls is a challenging but necessary aspect of a tennis player’s career. He emphasizes that the transition to a new ball type can significantly affect the game’s feel and dynamics.

“We change the ball in each tournament or almost in each tournament it is a different ball. You have to get used to it and it’s a different feeling when you get to a tournament and it’s like: what will the ball be? It’s a question that I think every player asks himself.”

He suggests that players often wonder about the ball’s characteristics when entering a tournament. Yet, players like Stan Wawrinka have addressed grave issues regarding injuries due to the changing balls. 

The debate over which statement makes more sense is endless. Every player has a different approach, and we will certainly see more such disagreements over certain issues. What’s your take on this? Let us know what you think, down in the comments.

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