Taylor Fritz has once again ignited debate around the state of modern tennis, offering a candid assessment of what he believes is holding the sport back at the highest level.
The American star, who has been vocal on equipment-related concerns in recent seasons, pointed to a growing issue that he feels is changing how the game is played—and not for the better.
Fritz raises concerns during Canadian Open
Fritz’s frustration first came into public focus during the 2025 Canadian Open, where he openly criticised the tennis balls used throughout the tournament. His comments resonated across the tour as players appeared to struggle with consistency and control.
“I feel like all week it’s kind of been flying, tough to control, easy to miss the ball,” said Taylor Fritz.
“It’s not just me, just watching any of the other matches, I can see people are hitting the ball a lot softer than they normally do, they’re playing a lot safer, people are making more mistakes.”
The concerns were not limited to one event. Fritz experienced similar issues at multiple tournaments over the season, with other players echoing his sentiment behind the scenes.
Balls or courts? Taylor Fritz offers clarity
As complaints around slower court surfaces have also grown louder on the ATP Tour, Fritz was asked to weigh in on whether courts or balls are the bigger problem. Speaking during his press conference at the 2026 United Cup, he made his stance clear.
“I think it’s more so the balls than the courts, to be honest,” he said.
“I’ll try not to make this a 20-minute answer. Personally, I’ve talked to a lot of other players about this. I personally think there were places where they slowed down the courts. Shanghai was a joke with how much they slowed it down. I guess Paris was slower.”
Despite acknowledging specific examples, Taylor Fritz dismissed the idea that court speeds have dramatically shifted across the board.
“But to me, honestly, and most players that I’ve talked to agree with me on this, I don’t think they’ve slowed down the courts that much over the years. I just think the balls are so much slower.”
Why the tennis balls are the real issue
Fritz went into detail about what makes the current tennis balls problematic, highlighting how their quality and performance deteriorate during matches.
“They are so much softer, so they just lose so much speed when they hit the court,” he said.
“Especially, I feel like the quality has gone down. They get so big so much quicker, I feel.”
He explained how this impacts aggressive players who rely on power and precision to dictate points.
“I’m serving as hard as I can, hitting my spot, and then hitting the next five balls as hard as I possibly can, corner to corner, and my opponent is just chipping and giving me nothing to work with, and you can’t put the ball away.”
Call for balance in modern tennis
While Taylor Fritz acknowledged that variation in court speeds is important, he stressed that modern tennis must still reward attacking play.
“There should be variance in the speeds, but at a certain point, there has to be reward when you’re being aggressive and taking risks.”
His comments have added fuel to an ongoing discussion within the sport, as players continue to question whether current conditions are limiting creativity, pace, and entertainment at the top level.