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US Open ball debate resurfaces as Alcaraz returns and players revisit old concerns
US Open ball rules are back in focus as Alcaraz returns and players question the heavier men’s ball.
The US Open has long separated itself from the other majors, and not only because of its size and atmosphere. It is one of the most heavily attended events on the calendar, with crowds that are often louder and more animated than those at the other Grand Slams.
It also stands apart through its ball policy. Unlike Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the Australian Open, the tournament uses different tennis balls for the men’s and women’s draws. The women use a more standard ball, while the men use a heavier duty version. That distinction has come back into focus this year because of Carlos Alcaraz’s wrist injury.
Alcaraz hurt his wrist at the Barcelona Open in April and the US Open is his first singles tournament since then. Discussing the issue on Sky Sports, Tim Henman explained why the event has maintained the rule.
“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 appeared on the Sky Sports Tennis panel with Henman, said the issue could affect Alcaraz as he returns to competition.
“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.”
The subject has surfaced before. In 2022, at the Cincinnati Open, Iga Swiatek questioned the logic behind the difference.
“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.”
The US Open changed the rule again in 2023, yet the debate has returned at Flushing Meadows.
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Del Potro’s wrist warning as Alcaraz continues US Open comeback
Del Potro urges patience as Alcaraz returns from wrist injury at the US Open in New York.
Juan Martin del Potro understands better than most how damaging wrist problems can be for a tennis career.
The Argentine won the US Open in 2009 and established himself as one of the leading players of his era, but injuries repeatedly interrupted his progress. After his Flushing Meadows triumph, he battled severe tendonitis and pain in his right wrist, which forced him out of much of the 2010 ATP Tour season. Four years of trouble with that wrist were followed by two major surgeries on his left wrist between 2014 and 2015.
That background has made del Potro one of the sport’s biggest what-ifs, and it is why he has been closely following Carlos Alcaraz’s latest setback. The Spaniard picked up a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April and was then ruled out of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the two Masters events leading into the US Open.
Alcaraz has now returned to competition in New York, opening his campaign with a first-round win over Roman Safiullin to arrange a second-round meeting with Jaime Faria. While preparing for his comeback at Flushing Meadows, he also received direct advice from del Potro.
Speaking to La Nacion, the Argentine said: “We crossed paths in the United States, he was still wearing the splint, and my advice was: ‘Patience with the wrist and don’t touch it.’
“I suffered through it myself, and at that time, not wanting to stop or not wanting to lose that four or five spot in the ranking, I did things that Carlitos doesn’t have to do today.”
Del Potro’s own Grand Slam run after his 2009 title included a quarter-final appearance at the Australian Open and a semi-final at Wimbledon, and those were the deepest major runs of his career.
Alcaraz, the second seed behind Alexander Zverev, is still aiming to defend his title at the US Open. He has also benefited from several seeded exits in the opening round, including Novak Djokovic, Arthur Fils, Matteo Arnaldi, and Cameron Norrie. If he beats Faria, he will face either James Duckworth or Wu Yibing next.
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Del Potro explains why Alcaraz edges Sinner in his view
Del Potro praises Alcaraz as Sinner’s injury-hit 2026 keeps their rivalry on hold again now.
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have defined the ATP Tour over the past three seasons, establishing themselves as the two leading figures in men’s tennis. Their dominance was underscored before Alexander Zverev’s Roland Garros win earlier this year, when the pair had collected the previous nine Grand Slam titles between them.
Sinner’s Wimbledon title in July marked his fifth major during that span, while Alcaraz also owns five since winning Roland Garros in 2024. Both players have still managed to separate themselves from the rest of the field, even though injuries have interrupted their rivalry in 2026.
Alcaraz was sidelined by a wrist injury that kept him out of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Sinner has been dealing with a knee injury, which has prevented him from appearing at the US Open.
Even with those absences, the Italian and the Spaniard remain the most decorated active players in men’s tennis aside from Novak Djokovic’s remarkable Grand Slam record. Many observers find it difficult to choose between them, but Juan Martin del Potro has made his preference clear.
Speaking to ESPN Spain, the 2009 US Open champion said: “For me, Alcaraz, he’s the most complete player. He has a freshness in his game that maybe lets him do things Sinner doesn’t. He’s very talented, can vary the pace in every way, and has every shot. I’m a big fan of him.”
Alcaraz has had a chance to make the most of Sinner’s absence in New York, although fitness concerns have also affected his own campaign. He returned to action in the first round of the US Open after four and a half months away, beating Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. That result sent him into a second-round meeting with Jaime Faria and gave him a 25th US Open win.
The world No 3 has also benefited from several early exits in his section of the draw, with Novak Djokovic, Arthur Fils, and Cameron Norrie all losing in the first round.
If Alcaraz wins the US Open, it would be his eighth Grand Slam title and leave him three ahead of Sinner. Their next meeting will have to wait, as both have chosen different tournaments after the US Open. Sinner is set to defend his title at the China Open in Beijing, while Alcaraz will defend his own at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
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Bartoli points to court conditions as Sinner-Alcaraz injuries disrupt 2026 rivalry
Bartoli links rising injury concerns to slower courts and heavier balls in 2026.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have defined men’s tennis across 2024 and 2025, yet the 2026 season has not given them enough chances to extend that rivalry on court.
The two leading players in the game have met only once this year, in the Monte Carlo Masters final. The Australian Open was the only Grand Slam both entered in 2026.
Alcaraz was sidelined from Roland Garros and Wimbledon because of a wrist injury. When he returned at the US Open, Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.
That pattern has prompted close attention to the ATP Tour, and Marion Bartoli has offered her view on why injuries have become such a concern this season.
Speaking on Sky Sports Tennis, the former Wimbledon champion said: “The problem is the surfaces are getting slower and slower, but the balls are extremely heavy.
“I understand that point of view, of course, but you have to take into consideration the health of the players, because without players, you have no tour.
“Whether they make the surface faster or they make the ball lighter, but one has to come back to what it was before, because at some point, if we keep losing Sinner, Alcaraz, and the rest of the field, I mean, we don’t have much to talk about.”
Before 2026, both players were rarely absent and they shared the last eight Grand Slams evenly across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
In 2025, they met six times. Their clashes included finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, along with meetings in the title matches at the Italian Open, the Cincinnati Open, and the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz ended that season with four wins, while Sinner had two. Their battles were a central force in the men’s game.
Sinner is now expected back at the China Open at the end of September, while Alcaraz has again chosen the Japan Open at the same time. The next realistic chance for the pair to meet on the ATP Tour is the Shanghai Masters, scheduled from October 5th to October 18th.
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