Even More Separate (But Unequal) Balls

Fiend at Court Unplugged

On the hard courts of Texas, bringing a can of regular duty tennis balls to a match is the epitome of poor taste. It simply isn’t done. The felt used for regular duty tennis balls doesn’t hold up to the wear and tear of play on an outdoor hard court. Consequently, I was surprised that regular duty balls were in use when I played the National Senior Women’s Hard Court Championships in Mission Hills, California earlier this month. I assumed that the selection was driven by necessity due to the the ongoing tennis ball shortage. As it turns out, the culprit is USTA policy.

In January of this year the post “Separate (But Unequal) Balls,” chronicled the fact that the US Open uses different balls for men’s and women’s events. The women compete with regular duty balls while the men use extra duty balls. The only difference between the regular and extra duty is the felt. The regular duty felt uses a tighter and smoother weave of the material. As a result, the ball doesn’t “fluff up” as much which yields less surface area drag as it flies through the air. The USTA believes that the regular duty balls are “faster” which makes women’s matches more exciting.

At the National Senior Women’s Hard Court Championships, I learned that attitudes about regular duty balls on the hard courts of California are similar to the pervasive attitudes in my home section of Texas: The balls are not appropriate for the surface. In fact, I participated in a lengthy discussion on the balls with officials, players, and spectators as an incredibly good doubles match unfolded on the center court below us at Mission Hills. It was a travesty to see such high level tennis played deep into the second set using balls unsuitable for the club teaching pro’s basket.

It was news to me that the USTA provides the tennis balls to all USTA Level 1 tournaments, but it is a benefit that makes sense in retrospect. However, I was stunned to learn that the women’s events always get regular duty balls while the men’s events exclusively receive extra duty balls. I confirmed that fact with an official who works events at all USTA levels. This practice is consistent in junior, adult, and senior events.

At the US Open, the balls are rotated after the first 7 games and at every 9 games thereafter. The competitors at that event are never forced to play with dreadfully worn out balls. The women amateur players at the Level 1 National Championships have no recourse other than to play with the balls provided. Meanwhile, the men competing at Level 1 tournaments are provided balls that will reliably last the entire match. There is something fundamentally wrong with that.

Since the retail price is the same for Wilson Regular Duty and Extra Duty tennis balls, it is a stretch to think of this practice as discriminatory. However, it is an inequity. It may seem like a small thing, but it is not inconsequential. It would make more sense for the USTA to use extra duty balls for the outdoor hard courts for both genders and to reserve the regular duty for grass courts and clay surfaces.

To anyone who thinks that the ball doesn’t matter, I would propose that the USTA simply reverse the ball allocation and give the regular duty to the balls to the men for a while. The problem will be immediately apparent.