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.”
Read also
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.
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Wow! Parry had to endure the biggest attitudes (currently active) in the WTA: Vekic, Tauson and Parks.
mandoist02-09-2026 - ‘Fils arrived just eight days after winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati, where he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the final, and entered the US Open as one of the players expected to make a deep run.’ Fils defeated Tiafoe in the final not Carlos Alcaraz.DaveyWavey01-09-2026
- Great article!!
AceOfBase31-08-2026 - Snorting hard drugs is not an "accident" nor a "mistake". That is a Choice.mandoist28-08-2026
- No... athletes retire and that's it. No 'giftng' Wildcards -- QUALIFY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE NOT RANKED HIGH ENOUGH or stay home and cherish yourselves in the mirrors all over your houses!. This shitshow needs to be stopped... the "Look At Me" nonsense has gone on far too long.mandoist28-08-2026
- Great article! I began cheering for the “real” doubles specialists at the beginning but once they all lost their respective matches I really didn’t care who actually won the whole tournament. I liked the last four teams in the semifinals and would have enjoyed seeing any of them win the trophy! Not sure it really feels like a TRUE Grand Slam win however (and I know history will say it is!). Happy for Muchova/Mensik. Karolina is now a Grand Slam winner.DaveyWavey27-08-2026
- …and Foseca ;)DaveyWavey25-08-2026
- All the men dropping like flies. Something’s gotta be done with the tournament calendar or many more players will be on the sidelines in the near future. Surprised Carlos is back as soon as he is. Get well soon Sinner, Draper, Fokina, Rune, etc. etc. etc……DaveyWavey25-08-2026
- I want Pegula to surprise as a one-slam wonder winning in New York. She would then jump over the other three ladies for a number one ranking! I’d put my money on the two American girlies, Jessica and Coco to win in New York. Rybakina cannot seem to perform under this kind of pressure and Sabalenka appears in an anger fog ATM.DaveyWavey24-08-2026
- Well said, Andy. I got sick of Nick carrying on and on and on about Sinner. He absolutely refused to look at the facts. Now look at him. Karma is real!!!Rapunzel23-08-2026
Loading