Tennis coaching guru Patrick Mouratoglou claimed on LinkedIn that based on Aryna Sabalenka’s performance at the recent US Open Tennis Championships her forehand is faster than that of both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“Aryna Sabalenka’s average forehand speed during this US Open is faster than that of top men’s players,” said Mouratoglous.
It is in the news but he forgot one crucial difference in the equipment used. Here it is:
In professional tennis, both men and women use the same standard tennis balls in most major tournaments. However, there is one notable exception:
In the U.S. Open, women play with a slightly different ball than the men. Women use the regular-duty tennis ball, which has a thinner felt coating, while men use the extra-duty tennis ball, which has a thicker felt. Both balls have the same weight and size, but the thinner felt on the regular-duty ball makes it move faster through the air, providing slightly different playing characteristics.
Outside of the U.S. Open, both men and women typically use the same type of extra-duty ball in most other tournaments, such as the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.
Sorry, but the ''expert' appears to have made a fatal mistake in his argument.
I suspect, actually, that the women play with different balls in more tournaments than is publicised but it is kept quiet. I am happy for them to play with balls that travel faster as it makes their game more interesting.
Research indicates that in the other three Grand Slams—Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon—men and women use the same type of tennis balls. This difference at the US Open has been a point of discussion among players, with some female players, such as Iga Świątek, advocating for the use of the same balls for both men and women.
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