Carlos Alcaraz issued a very loud complaint about the quality of the tennis balls during his Shanghai Masters defeat to Zizou Bergs.
During the first set, which he lost 7-5, Alcaraz was loudly communicating with his box about his struggles at the penultimate Masters tournament on the ATP Tour calendar.
“How can one ball bounce and another slide right over me?” was heard shouting during his match with Bergs. “I can’t play like this, I don’t understand it. I can’t play by intuition.”
The quality of the balls on the ATP Tour have long been complained about by the top stars, but Toni Nadal is not in favour of players complaining about outside interferences.
As reported by Jose Morgado, Nadal used his time coaching Rafael Nadal as a reason why he doesn’t believe that players should complain about tennis balls.
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Nadal said: “A few years ago, we were at the US Open with Rafa, and that year he wasn’t getting any spin off the balls. We were playing, and it was a disaster. Every day, when we went out to practise, he’d say, ‘These balls don’t suit me. I can’t get any spin on them.’
“The next day, it was the same thing all over again. I really don’t like excuses,” continued the Spanish coach. “He won his first match, his second, his third… but I eventually got tired of hearing it, so I told him, ‘Listen, what you need to do is lose, and then, when you get back to Mallorca, the balls will give you all the spin you want.’ He took my advice and lost”.
Alcaraz is not the only player to complain about the balls at the Shanghai Masters.
Taylor Fritz also issued his view after his straight sets victory against Matteo Arnaldi in the first round of the Masters tournament.
“These balls are very fast when they’re new, and then they wear down at an insane rate,” said Fritz. “Once they’re worn out, it’s a nightmare trying to close out a point. Once they’re worn out, my God, it’s torture trying to close out a point.”
There is a debate to be had that the quality of the balls could be adding to the injury crisis on the ATP Tour.
Not only are they likely extending points longer than they have to, but they are also requiring more force and energy from players in trying to hit winners.
In a time when the top players are missing an incredible amount of time due to injuries, perhaps it is time for better quality balls and a consistent ball across the entire season.
