Fritz ready for battle with balls: "We need to train with the same ones we compete with"
The American criticized the Wilson balls from this US Open that he has been training with after his elimination, stating that they are different from those used in the competition.
Taylor Fritz has once again shared his opinion on one of the most controversial topics in current tennis: the balls. The American, recently eliminated from the US Open by Fran Cerúndolo after being two sets up, did not criticize the different brands used throughout the calendar, which annoys most players, but expressed his frustration with the difference between the balls used during the North American hard court swing and those he is currently training with. Even though they are the same brand.
This was stated by the number 10 in the ATP ranking in an extensive message on X (formerly Twitter): “After playing in Washington, Cincinnati, and the US Open, plus a full week of training in New York beforehand, I got a very good feel for the Wilson US Open balls we were using and know exactly how they should feel coming off my racket. They were good balls, and I have no complaints about those we used in those tournaments this summer.” Up to this point, everything is correct.
However, he then begins with his complaint: “But since I got back home, my last two days of practice with Wilson US Open balls have been miserable. They are sold, marketed, and labeled as the same balls, but the way they come off my racket and feel could not be more different.”
Massive tennis ball rant incoming.
After playing Washington, Cincinnati, and the US Open, plus a full week of training in New York beforehand, I got a VERY good feel for the Wilson US Open balls we were using and know EXACTLY what they should feel like off my racket. They were…— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) September 10, 2026
Taylor Fritz exploded over the balls he trained with after the US Open
The American went further and explained his feelings: “After so many weeks using tournament balls, I know exactly how they respond. The balls I am currently practicing with feel like literal kids' green dot balls: incredibly soft, dead, and going nowhere. I am playing on a court with a speed similar to the Open courts, just to clarify. I've tried balls from multiple packs to rule out a defective batch, and unfortunately, it's been the same across the board. Other players I have talked to since the Open have described the same.
Fritz laments the extra effort he has to make in training with balls that he didn't have to worry about just a week ago: “The amount of effort I have to use just to hit a ball is insane. I have to throw my whole body into the shots and hit it with all my strength just to produce a solid shot. Beyond being frustrating, it feels like I am developing bad habits. I have to adjust the way I hit just to compensate for a ball that does not behave at all like the one we use in competition.”
And this is when he introduces his main complaint to the tennis authorities: “This leads to the obvious bigger problem and the reason for this text: we need to be able to train with the same balls we compete with, and in the past, I feel this wasn't an issue. It didn't use to feel this way. There was consistency, and any small difference used to be able to be explained by the court or the conditions. However, in the last year and a half, I have noticed such a significant difference between the retail balls from both Wilson and Dunlop and their tournament counterparts, which are supposed to be identical, that it completely changes how you want to build points and take risks in shots and just play points in general. I am not exaggerating; it is really making a very big difference at the professional level.
He concludes his letter with a lament: “It is disappointing that this has started to feel normal. Training is much less enjoyable, and much less productive, when you are spending time practicing with balls that are so different from those you will use when it really matters,” stated Taylor Fritz, who is seeking an explanation for the quality difference in balls from the same brand.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fritz, en pie de guerra con las pelotas: "Necesitamos entrenar con las mismas que con las que competimos"