[REVISION HISTORY]

US Open tournament preparations and player concerns

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-29 04:46 UTC → 2026-08-29 11:02 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Preparations for the US Open in New York have progressed toward the start of the main singles competition. Initial reports highlighted the tournament field, including top seed Alexander Zverev, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic. The tournament had previously transitioned to using Extra Duty balls for both men and women to address player concerns regarding control. As the tournament approached, Alexander Zverev, who became the top seed following the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner due to knee issues, criticized the quality of professional tennis balls. Zverev described the balls as ‘dead,’ arguing that players must ~~hit~~ ‘hack’ at them ~~harder~~ more forcefully to achieve results, a factor he believes contributes to increased wrist, elbow, and arm injuries among young players. The tournament landscape has been further impacted by several player availability changes, including the absence of Jack Draper due to a bone bruise and the return of Carlos Alcaraz from a four-month wrist injury. Despite a challenging start to the North American hard-court season, Zverev has reported feeling physically fit and improving in training.

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