Alexander Zverev explains why the tennis balls being used on the ATP Tour are causing players to get injured

Alexander Zverev has spoken out on the quality of the balls used on the ATP Tour.

The German has handled the ball quality better than most this season as he sits at number two in the world and made his second Grand Slam final at the French Open in June.

The talk of the balls used on the tour has increased in recent seasons with some players expressing their displeasure with the quality.

This is a debate Alexander Zverev shared his thoughts on after defeating Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin.

What did Alexander Zverev say about the tennis balls on the ATP Tour?

On the ATP Tour, the same balls are not used at each event throughout the year. Different balls are in operation at the discretion of the tournament and they may choose certain balls depending on the court conditions.

Zverev, who is a member of the players’ council, told reporters he researched what happened to the quality and production of tennis balls since the coronavirus pandemic.

“The ball is a significant issue. Being part of the players’ council, it was an interesting topic for me. I did some research and asked the companies about tennis ball production.

“Since COVID, all companies have declined significantly in quality. The main reason is that, due to COVID, the companies tried to cut costs using a different rubber material now.

“They are using a different material for the balls, making them on average 30% to 60% slower compared to how they used to be before COVID. It’s not just one company; overall, they are now worse and much slower, less consistent, and don’t last as long.”