“These are things that are incomprehensible to me”: Novak Djokovic baffled no statement forthcoming from ATP after ball drama

World number one Serbia’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic has asked the ATP Tour members to issue an statement about players suffering injuries because of the ball change.

There have been recent reports about some players suffering from muscular injuries resulting from the ball change.

Djokovic, who is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era having won as many as 24 Grand Slam titles, was quoted in a report where he urged the men’s tennis organization to come clean about why they had to take such a step in the first place which is affecting the player’s fitness.

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"There is certainly a connection between frequent injuries of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joint with balls and their changes,” he said. “I am absolutely in favor of choosing one ball with which we will play all ATP tournaments. It is different and more difficult with the Grand Slams because each of the biggest tournaments we play, negotiates separately which sponsor they will have for the balls, but this also happens on the ATP tour.

"Every tournament has the right to negotiate. However, we simply have to find a way to unify, so that in each category on the ATP tour we have one ball to play with, of course depending on the surface. Sometimes that change of balls happens three times in three weeks depending on where we play, and it affects the health of the players and the joints themselves. In that sense, I support the players complaining and asking the ATP to find a way to resolve it. They have to find a solution.

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"I didn't see that the ATP issued any statement regarding the player's complaints, and these are things that are incomprehensible to me. When you have tennis players from the top who are trying to reach you in public and say: 'Hey, let's talk about that topic!', you have to make a statement, address them, and say: 'Okay, we understand, let's sit at the table, let's talk'.

"Let's see if there is some process where questions are asked to the players and responses are sought from a larger group of players, from a hundred players, to see what everyone thinks, to see the consensus. There must be some activation, I don't understand why there is silence from their side.

"I hope that they will realize that there simply must be direct communication. Likewise, it should be publicly announced that they have received this information and are working on it, in the sense that they will see how they can find a solution that is acceptable. Silence will not change anything.”

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