Even Novak, after losing the first set 6–1 to Alex de Minaur, came back and won the match.
Why? The new “ball conditions” gave him a tactical edge.

It’s clear now:
The balls didn’t just affect performance — they redefined Wimbledon 2024.

So suddenly, Iga’s finding joy on grass.
Djokovic is breaking it down in pressers.
Sabalenka is holding strong.

All of them are adapting to what feels like a different Wimbledon.

Baseline players thrive on long rallies, angles, consistency, and patience.
They play smart, use variation, and force their opponents to take risky shots.

That style?
It suits Świątek perfectly. 🧠🎾

In fact, the ACE rate on grass this season dropped to just 10–14% — far lower than usual.
Why? Slower, heavier balls = fewer quick points.

And when points last longer, baseline players start to shine.

To understand why this is a big deal:
Grass courts have always favored big servers and fast players.
Think Federer. Think ACEs. 💥
Speed + power usually wins on grass.

But not this year…

The balls. 🎾

Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu both pointed it out:
The balls are expanding and getting fluffier after just a few games. That makes them bigger, slower, and harder to hit fast.

Long rallies became the new normal — not the grass court usual.

First: some players blamed the hot weather. ☀️
But hey — heat affects everyone, even the winners. Right?

So let’s talk about the real suspect…

And among the top 5 WTA players, only Aryna Sabalenka made it past the early rounds.

So what’s going on?

Two main complaints popped up.

According to BBC, this year’s tournament saw over 36 top-ranked players eliminated before the end of the second round.

That’s more than the 35 who crashed out early at the French Open in 2020.

Even top 10 players didn’t survive the chaos.

www.bbc.com/sport/tennis...

Why the sudden love for grass courts and Wimbledon?

Well… it’s not exactly Iga who changed — it’s Wimbledon itself this year.

And the key word? Balls. 🎾

And this reminded me of a wild story from Egyptian football…

When Egypt played Niger in AFCON qualifiers, a man entered with a goat 🐐
Egyptian players were terrified, thinking it was witchcraft.

We lost 1-0.
And after winning AFCON 3 times in a row… we missed the next 3 editions.

Back in 2017, Henan Jianye — dead last in the Chinese Super League — hired 15 Taoist priests to perform on-field rituals before a key match.

Desperate times, spiritual measures.

The CFA released a strong statement:
“The Chinese Football Association will resolutely and seriously deal with all kinds of violations of rules and regulations.”

But this isn’t a first in China…

Turns out, this wasn’t the first time…

Local reports say other teams found similar talismans when visiting Changchun — suggesting a pattern of spiritual sabotage.

Changchun went on to win the game 2-0.
But they didn’t escape punishment.

The Chinese Football Association fined the club 30,000 yuan (approx. $4,000) for using "feudal superstitions" to influence a match.

The talismans were Taoist "fu" – traditionally used to bring fortune or misfortune through spiritual energy.

The ones they placed in Shanxi Chongde Ronghai’s locker room read:
“By imperial decree, Shanxi Chongde Ronghai will fail.”