bowen’s bald spot

coyi

[Taylor Fritz @Taylor_Fritz97]

Massive tennis ball rant incoming.

After playing Washington, Cincinnati, and the US Open, plus a full week of training in New York beforehand, I got a VERY good feel for the Wilson US Open balls we were using and know EXACTLY what they should feel like off my racket. They were good balls, and I have no complaints about what we played with at those tournaments this summer.

But since coming home, my last two days of practice with Wilson US Open balls have been miserable. They are sold, marketed, and labeled as the same balls, but the way they come off my racket and feel couldn’t be more different.

After that many weeks using the tournament balls, I know exactly how they respond. The balls I’m practicing with feel like literal green-dot kids’ balls: incredibly soft, dead, and going nowhere. I’m playing on a court with a similar speed to the courts at the Open as well just to be clear. I’ve tried balls from multiple cases to rule out a bad batch, and unfortunately, it’s been the same across the board. Other players I’ve spoken to since the Open have described the same thing.

The amount of effort I have to use to just produce a regular rally ball with these balls is insane. I’m having to throw my whole body into shots and swing out of my shoes just to produce a solid rally ball. Beyond being frustrating, it feels like it’s creating bad habits (I would never swing this aggressively normally or else I’d sent balls to the back fence or mistime every other shot) I’m having to adjust the way I hit just to compensate for a ball that behaves nothing like the one we use in competition.

That leads to the obvious the bigger issue and the reason for the rant: we need to be able to train with the same balls we compete with, and in the past I feel like this wasn’t usually an issue.

It didn’t used to feel this way. There was consistency, and any small differences could usually be explained by the court or conditions. Over the last year and a half, though, I’ve noticed such a significant difference between retail balls from both Wilson and Dunlop and their tournament equivalents, which are supposed to be identical, that it completely changes how you want to construct points and take risks on shots and just play points in general. I’m not exaggerating it really is making that big of a difference at the pro level.

The only positive I can take out of playing with these balls the last couple days is that it takes such more extra effort in every shot i hit at least it has been good cardio consistently having to swing so hard all the time ��

It’s disappointing that this has started to feel normal. Training is a lot less enjoyable, and a lot less productive, when you’re spending it practicing with balls that are so different from what you’ll use when it matters.

Okay, rant over. Everyone go enjoy watching the rest of the Open :)

[Vladimír Coufal @Coufi5]

@westhamtransfer Omg. Someone should ban you from internet access.
Always together even in bad times ⚒️ where is it ?
When you give everything, we will stand by you ❤️ where is it ?

[West Ham United @WestHam]

Welcoming our 🆕 No18

[Greg Booth @GregBoothJourno]

🚨⚒️ EXCL:

West Ham are setting their sights on securing Kobbie Mainoo on loan for the 25/26 campaign!

The Hammers have been alerted to the player’s desire to leave United this window, and is seen as an easier deal than Quinten Timber with Leverkusen also interested in the Dutchman.

West Ham and Manchester United have a good relationship, with MUFC likely to see WHU as a good location for Mainoo to continue to develop and get good minutes. Mainoo hopes United change their tune before the window shuts and allow him to leave.

#WHUFC #MUFC #Mainoo
⚒️👹

[Tottenham Hotspur @SpursOfficial]

Wycombe take the lead.

⚪️ 1-2 🟡

[Dk41🇸🇪 @coyi_dk]

Should we loan him out or test him with the first team this season?

[Chris @ChrisConnor93]

This is what happens.

Paqueta found not guilty.
We sue.
We agree to a 19 point head start.
We finish 11th.

Irons.

[Jim@jimcpfc1 @JamesHo30745586]

@BBCSport No thx arsenal you utter tosspots

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

What if… we build around kudus?

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

@JBTFooty stop posting bullshits.

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

@whugdz this didn’t age the way I hoped

[Duncan Wright @dwright75]

That Conference League West Ham won. Not so easy as people will have you believe is it?

[West Ham United @WestHam]

Sit back and enjoy all 5️⃣0️⃣ of Jarrod Bowen’s Premier League goals 🍿

[West Ham Transfers @westhamtransfer]

Hang it in the louvre.

[West Ham Transfers @westhamtransfer]

I FUCKING LOVE MY FOOTBALL CLUB!!!!!

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

@TayWH5 we should move for Harry Wilson

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

FLOPETEGUI OUT @WestHam WOOOO

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

the only playable Xl going forward & jlo should get sacked if this isnt the team sheet for Southampton

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

wake up @WestHam, gundogan is a free agent

[bowen’s bald spot @scottbens0n]

@TayWH5 should really keep coufal and jwp