Thiem saddened by decision to change balls at this year's Roland Garros

Roland Garros decided to change the official tournament ball ahead of this year's event which saw many player's upset including Dominic Thiem.

The decision to change the ball at this year's Roland Garros has been a controversial one. Several players spoke about the decision with Rafael Nadal calling it "slow, heavy and dangerous". Dominic Thiem spoke about the decision and he agrees with Nadal saying:

"I practised two days at home with the ball. Now, of course, here. I’m a little bit sad because the Babolat at Roland Garros, it was my favourite ball, it was perfect."

“Obviously it was the ball from my racket company. (It) was fast, was taking spin incredibly well.

When asked how the ball compares to the previous one Thiem echoed Nadal statement by saying:

“The Babolat was actually my favourite balls, they were nice and fast, perfect for my game, perfect for Rafael Nadal’s game too. The new balls will be slower, more open. That will certainly change the results a bit.”

It will be fascinating to watch what effect the change has if any.