Emma Raducanu’s former coach, Mark Petchey, has backed Taylor Fritz’s analysis of the Dunlop balls set to be used at the Indian Wells Open for the first time in tournament history. During his Twitch stream, the American was asked by a fan whether he was okay with the on-court pace being as slow as last year’s, or if he preferred a faster pace.
Fritz provided a detailed explanation of the change in tennis balls for the latest edition of the Indian Wells Open, which commences on Monday. Agreeing with the former US Open finalist’s analysis of the Dunlop balls, Petchey responded to the Twitch stream on X.
“I have absolutely no idea what he is playing, but he absolutely nails how the ball is here. The only thing that has lost more hair than the Dunlop ball in Indian Wells was my head in my 20s,” Petchey wrote on X.
In the stream, Fritz explained that the Dunlop balls were slow, which would, in turn, lead to longer rallies and fewer player misses during the tournament. ” It’s going to be very interesting because they’re changing the ball at IndieWolves this year to the Dunlop ball. Now, the Dunlop ball is what we play with the most on tour, but I also think it plays slow,” Fritz said.
“The Dunlop ball, it plays slow when it’s worn out, and they’ve been wearing it out really fast. I think the quality of the ball has dropped exponentially… You can’t hit a winner to save your life… So, I’m interested to see, because the balls before were, like, not fast but missable, if that makes sense… Fewer unforced errors are made with the Dunlop balls than with Wilson US Open balls,” he added.
“There’s going to be longer points, and I just, I don’t know how much the balls are going to wear out… But if you play with the Dunlop balls on a slow court, it’s f****** miserable. They get this big instantly, and the quality of that ball has gotten so bad over the years… We need to switch to, like, ball changes on, like, honestly, seven and nine is, like, it’s just too long,” Fritz concluded.
Taylor Fritz and Emma Raducanu Will Aim to Get Their Season Back on Track in Indian Wells
Both Fritz and Raducanu are having disappointing runs in 2026, despite reaching the finals of ATP and WTA events, respectively. After a poor show in the Australian swing, Fritz went to the finals of the Dallas Open but ultimately lost to fellow American Ben Shelton.
In contrast, Raducanu had reached the Transylvania Open final, where she lost to home favorite veteran Sorana Cirstea.
Either player will be hoping to get their season back on track with an elusive Masters 1000 trophy, as all the top names in women’s and men’s tennis have now landed in California and begun their preparations for the Indian Wells Open, which starts on Monday.
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