At 3-2 in the first set, Medvedev was complaining about how the balls had deteriorated and about how they had to use them for 2 more games. “This is not good enough for the professional level by the ATP”
"It's not good enough for professional tennis": Damning Daniil Medvedev takes aim at ATP balls after Shanghai Masters win
ATPSaturday, 05 October 2024 at 11:46
Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev started his participation in the Shanghai Masters with a tight victory. The Russian eliminated Thiago Seyboth Wild by double 7-5. In the middle of the disputed match, Medvedev called the tournament supervisor to complain about the condition of the Wilson balls, arguing that they were wearing out quickly.
According to the world No. 5 ranked player, the balls were "insufficient for professional tennis," noting that they deteriorated too quickly, even after five games. “To be honest, about the balls, it’s not only me. I talk in the locker room and it’s not only my feeling. My feeling at this point is at this point, the companies try to see how far they can go to make bad balls, and ATP doesn’t say anything.
"It’s ridiculous. I mean, Beijing, Shanghai, US Open was a bit better and Roland Garros was just… [shakes head]. In my opinion it’s not good enough balls for a professional level of tennis. If you see when I made some passing shots, I tried to hit the ball, it just doesn’t go from the racquet. It’s ridiculous.”
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A week ago, in Beijing, Medvedev had spoken about it after his victory against Ugo Humbert. On that occasion Daniil had criticized the balls because they were too difficult to control.
"From the warm-up, even before the match, it was difficult to control the ball, he said. "So I was a little bit, let's say nervous in a way."
The tennis player stressed that the instability in the quality of the balls affects not only the performance, but also the health of the players. Other tennis players, such as Zizou Bergs and Carlos Alcaraz, have agreed that the constant change of balls between tournaments can increase the risk of injury, especially in the wrist, although according to the Spaniard it is something that all tennis players must adapt to.
Nevertheless, Medvedev took an important victory in his debut and will be looking to improve on last year's performance in Shanghai, where he suffered an early defeat against Sebastian Korda in the second round of the tournament.
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