A journalist asked Carlos Alcaraz about the weekend’s conditions at the Laver Cup, judged unusually slow for an indoor event. The Spaniard says he isn’t complaining, “especially with my serve, which isn’t one of the most powerful,” he said. He spoke with Yannick and the team about how the game has changed, surfaces once faster and now slower, and he has a theory: “it’s not so much the surfaces, but rather the balls.”
Alcaraz also noted that, in many tournaments, “the grip of the ball is totally different.” Hence his request to the tour: find “the best possible balls for the specific surfaces and tournaments” players compete on. “These are very important things to know,” he insisted.
But one line stopped our intern in his tracks: “The ball is much bigger and it’s a totally different game with new balls.”
Silly question, but bigger than what? I asked the newsroom if there’s an official size. I was told yes. I asked who measures it. Silence. I grabbed a tape measure and three balls from the office cupboard: a new one, a middling one, one that’s clearly lived. The new one is fluffy, all fuzz. The old one is bald. So maybe the ball swells up when it arrives, like a wet cat drying off. Then there’s the grip: I first thought it was some kind of supporters’ club. I was told no, it’s about how much the ball bites the strings. And in his view, every tournament should get a different ball, chosen on purpose. Like shoes. I checked, and actually nobody in the office knows who picks the balls. Anyway, I still have a lot to learn.
Alcaraz doesn’t know “whether they’ll change or not.” He added that he tries to adapt as much as possible in every tournament he plays.
It’s true, we checked: We Love Tennis.
