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For years, players on the tour have been criticising the quality of the balls, their rapid wear and tear, and their alleged role in the rise in arm and elbow injuries. “The biggest difference I’ve noticed compared to 10 or 15 years ago is the balls,” said Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon 2025. Daniil Medvedev regularly echoes this view, and the American Taylor Fritz had explicitly called for more frequent changes. The ATP has decided to take action.
Lexington: a testing ground for a new era of tennis
The ATP 75 Challenger in Lexington (Kentucky), scheduled for 3–9 August on hard courts, will serve as a testing ground for a long-awaited reform.
The ATP 75 Challenger in Lexington (Kentucky), scheduled for 3–9 August on hard courts, will serve as a testing ground for a long-awaited reform. The current rule stipulates that balls must be changed after the first 7 games, and then every 9 games. In Lexington, balls will be changed after the 5th game, and then every 7 games. “As part of the ATP’s ongoing efforts to improve the consistency and quality of the balls, we will be testing shorter intervals between changes at the ATP Challenger 75 tournament in Lexington,” the governing body confirmed in a statement sent to L’Équipe.
The trial is supported by the Player Advisory Council (PAC), the body that represents players’ interests to the governing body. Among the first to take part in this trial are: France’s Moïse Kouame (world No. 211), the Americans Michael Zheng (No. 121) and Reilly Opelka (No. 131), Serbia’s Dusan Lajovic (No. 152) and Italy’s Federico Cina (No. 184).
Data to inform decisions at the US Open
The ATP will not be content with a mere full-scale trial. The organisation plans to collect ball-tracking data throughout the tournament in Kentucky. These records will be examined at the next PAC meeting, scheduled to take place during the US Open (30 August – 13 September). If the findings are conclusive, the measure could be rolled out in the coming months, initially across the Challenger circuit, and then potentially on the main ATP tour.
A matter of public health in tennis
The debate goes far beyond players’ personal preferences. The rapid deterioration of balls on hard courts affects not only the spectacle — the balls become heavier and slower as they wear out — but also the players’ physical well-being. Elbow, wrist and shoulder injuries: many players draw a direct link between the declining quality of the balls and the rise in physical niggles on the tour. By reducing the interval between ball changes, the ATP hopes to provide playing conditions that are both fairer and safer, whilst addressing a grievance that had turned into an open revolt.
What happens after Lexington?
If the Kentucky trial proves successful, it could bring about a lasting change to the rules of professional tennis. A change that may seem trivial — a difference of two games in the ball-change interval — would in fact have major consequences for the pace of matches, players’ strategies and injury prevention. For now, all eyes will be on the Lexington Challenger, which, for the space of a week, will become the testing ground for one of the tour’s most eagerly awaited reforms.