Key facts
- Taylor Fritz accused Wilson of selling different quality US Open tennis balls for practice.
- Fritz stated that practice balls felt "miserable" and "couldn't be more different" from official tournament balls.
- Fritz has consulted with other professional players who have also noticed inconsistencies.
- Fritz emphasized his comments were not an excuse for his US Open third-round exit.
- Jessica Pegula previously complained about ball consistency in professional tennis.
ATP player Taylor Fritz has publicly accused Wilson Sporting Goods of selling tennis balls of inconsistent quality, particularly concerning the balls used for practice compared to those used in official tournaments. Fritz, who is ranked No. 10 in the ATP rankings, took to X (formerly Twitter) on September 10, 2026, to express his frustration. He stated that while he was satisfied with the Wilson US Open balls used during tournaments like Washington, Cincinnati, and the US Open itself, the balls he has been using for practice over the past two days felt significantly different and inferior.
Fritz claimed that the practice balls, despite being marketed and labeled as identical to the tournament balls, performed and felt dissimilar off his racket. He indicated that he had tried balls from multiple cases and had spoken with other professional players who corroborated his observations about quality inconsistencies. Fritz stressed that the core issue is the need for players to train with the same equipment they compete with, a consistency he feels has diminished over time.
His online commentary came shortly after his unexpected exit from the US Open in the third round, where he lost to Francisco Cerundolo after holding a two-set lead. Fritz preemptively addressed potential criticism, posting a follow-up message to clarify that his rant was not an excuse for his loss and that he had enjoyed the tournament balls. He also noted that he wished he had access to the higher-quality tournament balls for his training upon returning home.
Fritz is not the first professional player to raise concerns about tennis ball consistency. WTA player Jessica Pegula had also previously spoken out about the issue, highlighting the challenges players face when constantly switching between different types of balls during tournaments.