Whether you wanted it or not, it looks like you'll have a choice of what size tennis ball to use. Is this a good thing for tennis?

POINT- "A Bigger Ball Will Benefit Tennis" by Dan Jenkins

Men's indoor and grass tournament venues have been reduced to a serving display, handing victory to whoever's first serve percentage happens to be higher for the day. As the speed in the men's game continues to increase, and the length of points continues to decrease, equipment based issues, such as ball size, should be a priority. A ten percent larger ball (at carpet and grass surfaced tournaments) seems to be an answer to one of the game's biggest problems.

The evolution of racquets and training methods is turning professional men's tennis into a darwinistic snoozefest. Natural selection on faster surfaces becomes evident for big servers like Goran Ivanisevic, Richard Krajicek and Greg Rusedski, who sprayed 31 aces to beat German Nicolas Kiefer in Vienna, Austria, on indoor carpet this past October. His semi-final drumming of Roger Federer of Switzerland was little more than an autograph appearance in winning 28 of 31 first serve points - an incredible 90% winning percentage. Fans barely had their seats warm before they were shown the door.

The ATP conducted a player survey this past summer asking their pros if they would be in favor of an ITF 10% larger ball for faster surfaces like grass and carpet, if they could be guaranteed that the 'feel' of those balls would be exactly the same as normal balls. Sixty two percent said no, citing playability issues and physiological concerns. Get real - what really matters here is fan, not player opinion. Is this some kind of joke? Let's take a survey of fans who attend grass and indoor tournaments and see what turns up. I've been to Wimbledon, among other fast court tourneys, and I know I speak for an informed fan population.

Top pros need to wake up and realize where their meal ticket comes from - ticket sales and sponsors. They're out there to do one thing - entertain. No one cares about their concerns of how dramatically ball size may change the game on fast surfaces (which is the intended purpose by the way), or physiological concerns about how the ball will affect their bodies. Hey guys, quit your sniveling. The greenbacks remain the same - you'll simply have to put in a harder day's work at a few select indoor and grass events. It's perhaps the equivalent of asking Martha Stewart to bake an extra batch of cookies for her guests - big deal, just get it done.

While other sports continually evolve in the name of market value and fan entertainment - the NBA moving the 3-point line back, the NFL's play challenge, or volleyball's recent change to allow let cords on serves - tennis' pro game continues its downward spiral on the fast stuff, providing less mental stimulation than a late night re-run of the Brady Bunch goes to Hawaii. I'd rather see TV's most famous Greg almost drown at Pipeline than tennis' Greg serve his way through a 40 minute semi-final. Rusedski's spanking of Federer in Vienna (in a semi-final of a tier one pro event) is nothing short of embarrassing - not for Federer - for the game.

On faster surfaces, fans want longer rallies, more service returns and players stretching their lungs to oxygen debt. A ten percent larger ball, at select grass and indoor events, is a simple answer. We're not talking massive upheaval here folks - just a ripple of a change made on behalf of tennis fans everywhere.

COUNTERPOINT - Great balls of Fire!!! By Granville Swope

So you want to slow down the game of tennis. What's next, raise the rim in the NBA? Put a speed limit on NASCAR racing events? Institute a height limit for NFL linebackers so short quarterbacks can throw the ball over their heads? Look, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

No one, I mean no one is asking for this change. Not the pros, not the recreational players, not the ball manufacturers. So where is this coming from? The ITF. The ITF, in all their wisdom has proposed numerous "fixes" to the ever increasing speed of the game including; returning to wood racquets, allowing only one serve, shortening the length of the service box, playing the let, etc. There are other suggestions but these seem to be the most popular solutions to the "problem." There is no problem.

I take issue with the notion that sport is for the spectators. Hot dogs are for spectators! If you don't like what you see, stay home and watch it on video where you really can control the speed (perhaps between Brady Bunch episodes!). If people go to tennis matches today for the same reason they go to the Indy 500, speed and crashes, so be it. Racing is more popular today than ever before and tennis (finally) seems to be on the rebound. It is absurd that athletes be asked to slow down their game for the spectators. The only reason there are ticket sales and sponsors (the aforementioned "meal-tickets") is because these guys are so good. People will pay money, BIG money to watch them! Sport is a participation activity. When you get down to it, sport is about playing, not about watching.

Paul Settles, in his interview at http://www.menstennis.com, mentioned a possible link with the heavier Slazenger ball used during the grass court events in Europe and arm problems with the players. If the players are injured using a bigger ball, there is no tennis. Let the ITF play with the bigger ball! The pros have enough on their minds when it comes to making their living on the tennis court, such as hotels, food and travel expenses, not to mention the court surface, venue, fitness, prize-money and, oh yeah, their opponent.

And how do you explain Grand Slam champs like Agassi winning Wimbledon, beating Ivanisevic (a huge server) in the final on grass. Talent. Pure and simple. These guys are talented. Bigger ball, smaller ball, it won't matter. What if the big ball slows down the serve return more than the serve? And besides, my understanding is the big ball has no appreciable effect on ball speed on any surface.

Finally, it is difficult to look at the effects of the big ball on the pro game without looking at how it will effect...The Game! If the ITF has the pros playing with a bigger ball, then we are all playing with the bigger ball. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Leave the ball alone!

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