Coach blames heavy tennis balls for Raducanu form

The British number two’s attempts to join the elite’s of the world, according to Mark Petchey, Emma Raducanu’s coach, are impacted by heavier tennis balls, among other factors.

Iga Swiatek, a five-time Grand Slam champion, defeated Raducanu 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the French Open on Wednesday, toppling Raducanu.

The US Open champion from 2021 is ranked 41st in the world and has only won one of her nine professional matches against top-five players.

It’s difficult on Emma from my perspective because I still believe everyone will live in 2021, Petchey, who has been coaching Raducanu since March under an “informal” arrangement.

“The games have drastically changed,” Petchey asserted.

He continued, “Emma isn’t the biggest hitter out there, and the balls are four times heavier than back in 2021,” exaggerating further to make the point that he was making an exaggeration.

You’re going to get into trouble if you can’t put the ball through the court against someone like Iga on a windy, heavy clay court day.

Former British number one Andy Murray, age 18, was trained by Petchey for 10 months in 2006 to help him reach the top 50, and Raducanu was trained during the pandemic summer of 2020.

In their coverage of Roland Garros, he is combining his coaching duties with his work as a pundit for TNT Sports.

Petchey remarked, “She needs to start closing the gap between the best players,” since I started helping Emma.

She doesn’t need me to choose between 20 and 50 in the world, and she needs to make the right choice if I don’t.

You are beginning your career now, in my opinion. Everyone is making judgments about what transpired in 2021, but in reality, I want to see you launching a career in this country where no one else will ever hear about it.

Since Nick Cavaday left as a full-time coach in January for health reasons, Raducanu has not had a full-time coach.

Stan Wawrinka and Nick Kyrgios are just two of the tennis players who have expressed concerns about the weight and speed of their balls recently.

Players are forced to adapt to various types of balls throughout the season, even for the Grand Slams, because tournaments are not required to sign their own contracts and balls from different manufacturers are far from identical.

Since 1902, Dunlop has supplied the balls for the Australian Open, while Slazenger balls have been used at Wimbledon. Wilson’s balls are currently used in the French Open and US Open.

The ATP Tour’s official ball is Dunlop, a contract that runs until 2028.

Many players believe that fluffy balls, which become more heavy and slow, cause more injuries, but the organizers are now using them to promote longer rallies.

However, there are strict rules governing the types of balls allowed in professional competitions.

A ball used in a game must weigh between 56g and 59.4g according to the International Tennis Federation’s regulations. Since 2000, the required weight range has changed from 56.7 to 58.5 grams.

The maximum change in mass allowed during play is 0. 4g, according to the same rules.

Additionally, the balls must pass a number of other tests, including durability, bounce, deformation, and how it changes shape during a game.