ATP to Trial More Frequent Ball Changes at Upcoming Challenger in Lexington

The Lexington Challenger, held from August 3 to August 9, will feature a long awaited change.

The tournament, according to Parsa Nemati, is set to experiment with fewer games between ball changes during matches, going from seven games at the first ball change and every nine games after, to five games for first ball change, and every seven after.

The change has been called for by many players on tour, including Taylor Fritz.

Fritz ranted on Twitch saying that balls fluffed up immediately and became too slow, too early. “Seven and nine is just too much,” Fritz said.

If the changes ever become official, it will likely require a rewrite of existing contracts between the tours and the ball manufacturers, as companies like Dunlop and Penn would have to supply a significantly higher amount of matches to get through tournament play.

Would it make for healthier arms, and a higher quality of play? If the answer is yes, and the environmental impact / flat costs aren’t too high then the changes could make a lot of sense for the sport.

Quicker changes would likely alleviate the number of complaints about the balls, but not all of them. Some players complain about weight, feel and other issues, regardless or the stability and duration of the felt weave.