Conditions? Surface? For many players, the balls are the biggest adjustment with Indian Wells and Miami

MIAMI, Fla.— With the second half of the “Sunshine Swing” already underway, BNP Paribas Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have the opportunity to complete one of the toughest back-to-back feats in tennis by lifting the trophy at the Miami Open.

There are few stretches on the ATP and WTA Tours that can compare: There are roughly eight hours of travel between Palm Springs and Miami for the average player, which sees them cross three time zones. That’s two to three times as long as the turnaround from Toronto and Montreal to Cincinnati, for example.

And while the altitude difference between Madrid and Rome can wreak havoc on ball bounces, it’s nothing compared to the contrast between the Southern California desert climate and South Florida’s brutal heat and humidity. Through just the first round in Miami, we’ve already seen Frenchman Arthur Cazaux collapse in the middle of his qualies match, while on Wednesday Italy’s Matteo Berrettini appeared to nearly faint in between serves during his opening match against Andy Murray.

But for many players it’s not the lengthy travel, the contrasting conditions, or the difference in court surface—reportedly Indian Wells is grittier and slower, while Miami is smoother and plays a bit faster—that they are feeling the most. Ahead of the Miami Open, players have been highlighting another wrinkle that they have to adapt to: the change in tennis balls.

“To be honest, that part can affect us more than the court change itself,” No. 12 seed Taylor Fritz told the press in Miami.

Last week in Indian Wells, ATP players competed using Penn balls—which got a mixed reception from players like Stan Wawrinka, who shared a post on social media showing how quickly the court surface chewed them up—while in Miami, they will compete with Dunlop, the tour’s official ball.

And for Fritz, the differences between the two are so stark that, when asked to compare the conditions to nearby Delray Beach, where he won seventh ATP title in February, he said it was “impossible” to compare the two—despite Delray (Penn) being just an hour’s drive north of Miami (Dunlop).

“It’s different balls so it’s a night and day difference,” he said. “It’s so impossible to compare one tournament to another, because if the balls are different it’s really not comparable.”

Last year Fritz revealed he even struggled with a wrist injury as a result of the changing balls, and it’s a sentiment that’s been echoed on the WTA Tour as well. Former US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who underwent surgery on both wrists last year after a long struggle with injury, sounded the alarm in Indian Wells.

“The conditions are very different in Indian Wells compared to Miami,” Raducanu told press in Indian Wells. “It’s very humid. The balls are very heavy. They are different, which I don’t think is great for any of the players’ wrists, but especially mine. I honestly think it’s really bad for us, the way that we have to switch balls every single week and especially when you’ve gone through surgeries.

“I know a lot of players who are struggling with wrist problems, too. I don’t understand why every other sport is pretty much the same, whereas in tennis it’s different week to week.”

For other WTA players like Jessica Pegula, who also switched from Penn to Dunlop between Indian Wells and Miami, the challenge isn’t just physical—it presents a logistical problem, too.

“The conditions are just night and day, and throwing a totally different ball when you’re already having to change your tension and all this stuff on top of that… It's not ideal,” the No. 5 seed told press ahead of her Miami start. “I’ve gone through like 20 (string) tensions in practice. We’re all feeling the same thing.”

World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev also highlighted the mental toll that so many changes can have on players: "Every small detail can have a big impact—sometimes on your body, sometimes on your mind or on your tennis. You start questioning even more: these balls, this court, this let... But it's true that the change is big."

The ever-changing tennis balls used on the professional tours has long been a topic of discussion. Last year, Iga Swiatek lobbied the WTA Tour to switch from Wilson’s lighter Regular Duty ball—which, ironically, was originally chosen to prevent arm, shoulder, elbow and wrist injuries—to the heavier Extra Duty at the US Open. But even that move was met with mixed reviews, as not everyone was a fan of the new ball.

But for Pegula, regardless of which ball they ultimately settle on, as long as it stays consistent week in and week out the players would be able to adapt. With individual tournaments negotiating their own deals with ball manufacturers and gear sponsors, it’s likely a policy change that would have to come from the top of the game to take effect.

“I would just rather have a consistent ball… because you can’t keep every court the same, it’s impossible,” Pegula said. “If we could just at least keep the same ball every single week, then we could at least get a handle on that variable.

“There's other changing variables that we can just let go, but when you're constantly switching with all of them, it makes it really tough.”