Match point

Chapter 813
First, one thing needs to be clear:
Are tennis balls really different?

The answer is yes.

Not "possible", but [-]%, the difference exists objectively.

Moreover, leaving aside the subtle differences caused by different batch production times, different brands of tennis are different in themselves, because different venues require different types of balls. Like all professional competitive sports, the higher the level, the more professional it is. , and extended to equipment.

At present, there are many professional tennis ball brands on the market, such as Slazenger, Wilson, Dunlop, Babolat, Head, Penn, Tenifer (Techifibre) blah blah blah.

Among them, Wilson and Hyde are also the two top suppliers of rackets.

On the whole, Wimbledon has always used Slessinger, the US Open and Australian Open are Wilson, the French Open used to be Dunlop, and now it has evolved into Babolat.

In the ATP Tour, Indian Wells, Miami, Canada and Cincinnati are all Payne, and the mid-year finals, Paris, and Shanghai are all Hyde.

Grass court competitions are basically dominated by the Schlesinger family; clay court competitions are mainly dominated by Dunlop and Babolat.

It can be seen from this that different types of venues have different requirements for tennis. Naturally, there are also subtle differences in the balls used in competitions.

Moreover, the same brand often makes different tennis balls according to different venues, but the gap in technology and product quality also exists objectively.

Tennis brands currently on the market, each brand has a different series, ranging from three to five, and as many as ten or twenty, and the hitting feeling of different series is also different.

However, professional tennis events are all commercial activities, and "sponsorship" is the core keyword, which also means that every tennis supplier is doing its best to expand its territory, so events often change balls, The accompanying chain reaction has always existed objectively.

It seems that every World Cup, everyone will discuss that this year's ball is "lighter", "heavier", "floating", "slippery", and "uncontrollable". The same is true for tennis.

Schlesinger, known as the "Nobleman".

It is the most suitable ball for grass courts and has always been the official ball of Wimbledon; it is also the best ball to play and the most expensive.

Many people generally agree that Schlesinger is the best tennis to play, with good feel, good elasticity, suitable air pressure, good wool content, good elasticity and speed; but the disadvantage is that it is not durable and consumes a lot of balls. Amateur games, after one game, basically can no longer be used——

Not to mention the professional game.

"Expensive" is just one word.

Dunlop, in fact, is the same manufacturer as Schlesinger. It was originally a tire manufacturer, so the craftsmanship of the tennis liner is very good.

Compared with Schlesinger, durability is a symbolic feature, but the quality of the ball felt is average, and it basically becomes bald after playing. It looks like an abandoned pig urine bubble.

Although the characteristics are not obvious, it is very popular on the clay court.

Hyde and Penn were also a manufacturer - Penn was later acquired by Hyde.

On the whole, the two types of balls are just like "blue-collar workers", with very average all-round features, no special advantages or shortcomings, and high quality and low price. They are very suitable for ordinary tennis lovers and must be the first choice.

But for slightly advanced players, they lose their charm, because they have no characteristics, so naturally there are no bright spots, and it can even be said to be "mediocre".

It is worth mentioning that Penn is basically used in North American games, as well as in NCAA games. This is also the game ball that Gawain is most familiar with.

Babolat, the official ball of the French Open.

This is also a brand that started out as a racket. The biggest feature of their tennis balls is: durability.

Very very durable.

Therefore, Babolat tennis balls are very hard when they are new, basically equivalent to table tennis balls. The ball felt is also very compliant and tight. Naturally, the ball speeds up and increases the difficulty of player control.

For beginners, Babolat's tennis is very unfriendly, basically uncontrollable, and then all the shots are sloppy; but for professional players, it is another matter, because on clay courts, taking more rounds is particularly important. There are many, and the ground friction is also particularly large, so this kind of patience with the ball can be carried forward.

Finally, Wilson.

The world's largest racket supplier, but also the most common ball used in global hard court events, the common supplier of the Australian Open and the US Open.

Although the same brand is used in both Grand Slam tournaments, as Gao Wen just said, there are objective differences between the two types of tennis.

On the whole, the US Open ball is softer and looser, and less resistant to hitting. Once a long round of multi-shot duel is played, the tennis ball is easy to float; therefore, for players who use strength to play, it is often It is even more unfavorable, but relatively speaking, power players who take the initiative to exert force can occupy some advantages.

The ball used in the Australian Open is harder and tighter, and its durability has been improved to a higher level. In the long-round duels on hard courts, it is basically equivalent to the level of Babolat. The more you play, the tougher it is. Elasticity, multi-shot tug-of-war can also ensure the power transmission in the process of borrowing force.

Of course, these distinctions are very, very subtle and not absolute.

Then, some people will definitely say that as long as the strength is sufficient, absolutely crushing, no matter what ball is used to win, this is the real kingly way.

But this is the case in competitive sports. The more top-notch the match, the more important the details.

For a simple example, Djokovic, known as the "King of Melbourne Park", has won the Australian Open nine times by 2022, but in the US Open, which is also hard court, his number of championships has remained at Three times, no further progress, just one more than the French Open.

In addition, del Potro, the best performance in his career is the hard court. The violent forehand is known as the best forehand in history. , only two quarter-finals, and even the performance in the fourth round can only be added once.

Djokovic and Del Potro, the direct comparison between these two players is very obvious.

From this, it can be seen that although the Australian Open and the US Open are both hard courts, there are still some differences in the type and style of suitable players.

Coming to Melbourne from New York requires adaptation, not just the climate and environment, but subtle changes in all aspects of the entire event.

A slight difference, a thousand miles away, is true in scientific research, and it is also true in competitive sports.

Just now, Gao Wen noticed Zhang Shuai's hitting, and he blindly exerted force, trying to form a confrontation and suppression, but lacked control, and the overall feel and feel of the ball were still lacking, so the hitting frequently went out of bounds——

It's not off the net, all of them are out of bounds.

This also means that the feel of the ball is not right, the arc control is fine, but the power and spin control are not right.

That's why Gao Wen paused the practice and pointed out this matter.

But thinking about it seriously, Zhang Shuai has been on the tour for so long, and this is not her first time participating in the Australian Open. Does she not understand better than Gao Wen?

(End of this chapter)