﻿ Balls feel heavier to players, organizers blame high humidity
- Taipei Times Thu, May 29, 2003 - Page 20　News List  Balls feel
heavier to players, organizers blame high humidity   Are the
balls heavier at this year's French Open or not?  The question
caused most of the post-match conversation here as first-round
matches wrapped up Tuesday.  No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, like many, is
convinced they are.  "The balls were heavier this year than I've
ever played with here before," was Hewitt's comment after
beating Brian Vahaly, 6-4, 6-1, 6-7 (6), 6-3.  No. 3 Juan Carlos
Ferrero agreed.  More so than last year, the ball "gains speed
as it comes," said Ferrero, last year's runner-up. "It seems to
remain behind. It takes more strength to make it go through."
French player Fabrice Santoro, before ousting retiring former
champion Michael Chang, penned a letter to L'Equipe newspaper to
publicly complain about the balls, saying they cramp the style
of attacking players.  "This year, the balls are limp and heavy,
which is o