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New balls to be used at this year's RG, does it change anything for Nadal?
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Since Nadal clearly confirmed that he will not play tennis if the Covid situation is not "under control", he does not have to worry about such things.
He can't be that big of a hypocrite to actually play Paris with the cases rising that fast, right? Clearly he must follow up on what he claimed was the reason to skip the US Open.
He can't be that big of a hypocrite to actually play Paris with the cases rising that fast, right? Clearly he must follow up on what he claimed was the reason to skip the US Open.
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If the balls are heavier it's going to be a nightmare trying to hit through the court.
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Can't find any technical data on the ball whatsoever. I guess we'll have to wait until the practice sessions begin, when players will undoubtedly give their opinions on this. I wasn't aware that Dunlop was the official ball supplier for RG until 2011, and it's apparent that this switch didn't cause Rafa any issues. After all, we all know guy was taught that winning is not about rackets, strings, balls or court, so he'll adapt as he always does.
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LOL at calling it a September event when only 3/14 days are in September...
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Looks like it's a bigger ball and it seems Wawrinka already doesn't like them much
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Exactly
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So this guy doesn't know what clay court tennis is i gather. Using quicker balls completely defeat the point of clay court tennis to begin with. Hopefully we will see more variations and better point constructions.
I am glad they are going to use slower balls (jury is still out on that). Roland Garros courts were never the slowest to begin with but with slightly cooler conditions we may have the slowest FO since 2004/2005.
Mark Petchy on Amazon Prime yesterday said he managed to get a look at them and they did seem bigger than the tennis balls Roland Garros were using until last year. This means conditions will likely be even slower this year. Advantage Nadal against most players - but maybe not against someone like Thiem, who can hit through the court more easily than Rafa can.
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As for my experience playing recreatively, Babolat balls are indeed super light and bouncy, even on hard courts. that's why I always have some in the bag: i'm a topspin bot and those kind of balls always give me an advantage 
On the other hand, Wilson tennis balls (at least the US Open ones), are heavy as a rock, if you play with high tension rest in peace, and they just seem to die with spin, they are simply good for ballbashers. So i'm not surprised by this, wouldn't be expected that Wilson would change everything in their factory process.
Ofc nothing like this matters bc GOATdal will sweep the tournament, even if they play with badminton birdies.
On the other hand, Wilson tennis balls (at least the US Open ones), are heavy as a rock, if you play with high tension rest in peace, and they just seem to die with spin, they are simply good for ballbashers. So i'm not surprised by this, wouldn't be expected that Wilson would change everything in their factory process.
Ofc nothing like this matters bc GOATdal will sweep the tournament, even if they play with badminton birdies.
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I wish we still had Philosophicalarf commenting on this board. He was the expert on balls and court speed.As for my experience playing recreatively, Babolat balls are indeed super light and bouncy, even on hard courts. that's why I always have some in the bag: i'm a topspin bot and those kind of balls always give me an advantage
On the other hand, Wilson tennis balls (at least the US Open ones), are heavy as a rock, if you play with high tension rest in peace, and they just seem to die with spin, they are simply good for ballbashers. So i'm not surprised by this, wouldn't be expected that Wilson would change everything in their factory process.
Ofc nothing like this matters bc GOATdal will sweep the tournament, even if they play with badminton birdies.
Balls that are sold to the general public aren't necessarily the same one as those used by tournaments.
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As for my experience playing recreatively, Babolat balls are indeed super light and bouncy, even on hard courts. that's why I always have some in the bag: i'm a topspin bot and those kind of balls always give me an advantage
Good to know your thoughts on the differences.
However, do you think Wilson uses exactly the same type of material to make balls that are sold to general public and to make balls that are played by the elite tennis players (eg., Rafa, Djokovic, Wawrinka) at the top of the sport at an elite tennis tournament (eg., RG)?
My view is that, they would be different. Wilson will use special, unique, and sophisticated material of the highest quality to make balls for an elite event like RG, based on its specific contract terms with RG. Maybe, I am wrong. I am not totally sure how this works. If they are the same, why would players wait until they practice with the balls to know, feel, and adjust to the difference in the balls. They could walk into any store and get those Wilson balls. What is all this suspense and fuss about? Common sense.
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You took the words out of my mouth. As I was typing my post, you made this^ post.
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No chance for Rafa to win RG with heavy balls + heavy conditions 🤬🤬🤬
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