The US Open often stands out from the other three Grand Slams for a multitude of reasons.
The Grand Slam is one of the best-attended tennis tournaments on the calendar and the fans are often more raucous than the other three major events.
In addition, there are different rules compared to Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and the Australian Open, with different tennis balls used for the men and women’s draw.
The women play with a more standard ball, while the men have a more heavy duty ball, and it’s become under fired this year due to Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury.
Alcaraz injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April and the US Open is his first singles tournament back.
Speaking about the different ball rules while on Sky Sports, Tim Henman outlined why the US Open has incorporated the rule.
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The former British tennis player said: “At Wimbledon they use the same ball. At the Australian Open, and all other tournaments they use the same ball.
“I think it’s somewhat unique to this event, but when they did use the same ball, I think it was a request from the WTA because the women used the extra duty felt and they didn’t like it so much so they went back to the normal ball.”
Naomi Broady, who was on the Sky Sports Tennis panel alongside Henman, worried it could be a detriment to Alcaraz and his return to tennis however.
“I think for me as well, does it intertwine with the conversation on the ATP Tour regarding the injuries and how many wrist injuries they have and should they be playing with a ball that is heavier? Would they be better of with a lighter ball?
“You’re then going to have shorter rallies because it’s harder to control, it’s going to move faster through the air, so there serves are going to be bigger, it’s going to be tougher to get returns and extend those longer rallies.
“But the way men’s tennis is going and how many injuries we’re seeing, I think it is a call from the players. Firstly to have a consistent ball used across the Tour. There are so many variables. Not only are tennis courts changing week to week, but the ball is as well.
“So some weeks the ball is going to fly faster through the air, sometimes it’s slower and you feel like it’s not leaving your strings. I think the request from the men is to stop using the really heavy balls, not to say the US Open is necessarily one of them, but it’s certainly heavier than the women’s and I don’t think it helps the likes of Alcaraz and the guys who have had those injuries.”
Some of the top players in the sport have often complained about the disparity between the men and women’s game on the North American hardcourt swing.
In 2022, while at the Cincinnati Open, Iga Swiatek questioned the reason for the change.
“Fifteen years ago probably women had some elbow injuries because the balls were heavier and they changed them to women’s balls,” said the Pole.
“But right now we are so physically well prepared that I don’t think it would happen. I feel, it’s really hard to control them, but everybody has the same conditions, so we are trying to deal with that. I don’t get why they are different, honestly.”
In 2023, the US Open reversed the rule, but once again the debate appears to be rearing its head at Flushing Meadows.
