Hit and miss with new balls in play
THEY still look and feel the same but the field at the Cairns Tennis International are having to modify their game and preparation to cater for the brand new tennis balls rolled around this week.
Tennis Australia has recently struck a new deal with Dunlop to provide the balls to tennis tournaments in Australia for the next five years, replacing Wilson, which also provides balls for the US Open.
Dunlop will provide the official ball for the Australian Open and its lead-in events, starting in the Far North this week, with the 2018 Cairns Tennis International the first to use the fresh balls.
Many of the players at the Cairns International Tennis Centre have sighted significant differences to the old Wilson balls, including the pace of the balls when they are brand new as well as the ball seeming to “die” when they are old.
Gold Coast player Kimberly Birrell, who advanced past fellow Australian Lisa Mays on Wednesday, says the new balls can take time to adjust to.
“They feel OK, they are obviously different to what we were used to,” Birrell said.
“It is kind of weird at this time of year to be playing with a different ball because we are all used to Wilson.
“Everyone is in the same boat and need to get used to it.
“They are a little bit faster at the start and then they die.
“They are quicker than the Wilson ball and get fluffy really quick.
“It is not much of a problem in the main draw as you switch balls ever ninth and 11 games.
“You just have to be switched on and know when new balls are coming.”
Powerful Welshman Evan Hoyt, who is a regular on the European tennis circuit and a relative newcomer Down Under, is comfortable with the change of balls and says the locals are being precious about the switch.
“They do get a bit heavy after a few games and I have heard all the Aussies complain Tennis Hot Shots.
The official Dunlop Australian Open ball uses the finest natural rubber, combined with Dunlop’s secret recipe of components and premium woven cloth, to create an ultraconsistent ball for high performance play. about them,” Hoyt said.
“They are used to the old balls and me being European, we have different balls at almost every tournament.
“The new balls slow down once you use them.”
Tennis Queensland Match Play development manager Marc Wittmann, who is on the ground this week in the Far North, says the field are taking time to adjust.
“They are coming to terms to the new balls and the weather,” Wittmann said.
“It is the first one in Australia with the new balls so they are still settling in.”
Young Australian player Mustafa Ibraimi said the new balls suited the bigger servers.
“They fly off the racquet,” Ibraimi said.
“I think it helps with your shot selection because you have more confidence hitting them. But they don’t seem to last that long. The other balls had more durability.”
Ibraimi was knocked out in the first round of the Cairns Tennis International by compatriot Michael Look, the fourth seed.
Reigning women’s champ Olivia Rogowska said she had to adjust to the new balls, but was a fan of their response to the racquet.
“They are different to what I’m used to, but if you make good contact they come off really well,” she said.
“The only problem is they don’t last as long as the old balls, but for me that’s not as much of a problem as it would be for some of the big hitters.” for a performance advantage and as famed GE chief executive Jack Welch said: “If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete!”
What happens though when new tennis balls are introduced that bounce differently? Just like the infamous World Cup Jabulani ball, that had players complaining.
A similar thing happens in the AVP and FIVB professional beach volleyball competitions, which use slightly different balls. The brain gets used to how a ball feels, floats, and moves through the air.
My message today however is clear: athletes who spend the most time training with the new balls will eventually adapt. Rather than complaining, they need to put their heads down, and retrain their reactions, expectations and anticipation mechanisms for the new ball It’s not just survival of the fittest, it’s survival of the most adaptable and it all happens in the brain.
IT’S NOT JUST SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, IT’S SURVIVAL OF THE MOST ADAPTABLE AND IT ALL HAPPENS IN THE BRAIN
Rob Gronbeck is a Cairns performance psychology coach.