What is this two-headed controversy? After his pitiful defeat – and his behavior bordering on ridiculousness – against Taylor Fritz for his debut at the ATP Finals in Turin, Daniil Medvedev spoke out about the poor quality of the balls used on the circuit. A recurring theme for the Russian, who has almost made it an obsession for two years.
The world No. 4 is not the only one to complain. Other players have already mentioned an increase in recurring injuries to the wrist, elbow or shoulder due both to balls that wear out extremely quickly and to the incessant changes of brands made throughout the tournaments.
But the winner of the 2020 Masters, who faces the Australian Alex de Minaur this Tuesday in the Ilie Nastase group (and must absolutely win to hope to see the semi-finals), is by far the most fired up. And he has his own ideas on the matter…
“During Covid, balls became cheaper and worse”
“Some players think that during Covid, manufacturers had difficulty producing balls because they were mainly produced in China,” he explained recently in an interview with Russian journalist Sofya Tartakova. So they started looking for alternatives. During Covid, balls became cheaper and worse (notably due to a change in rubber). There is a conspiracy theory that after the pandemic, manufacturers said to themselves: why improve the bullets, make them more expensive, since they are enough? »
For the Muscovite, who has not won a tournament since May 2023, this had a direct impact on his performance and his game. It thus explains all the lost effectiveness of his cross backhand. “With the balls we play with (which he considers much too slow and quickly resemble “soft toys”), everyone can hold the rally,” he said Sunday afternoon after his Turin tantrum. It’s been like this for two or three years. Every training session is complicated, every match is complicated. »
During the recent Masters 1000 in Shanghai (where he was dominated by Sinner in the quarters), the winner of the 2020 US Open explained his anger more calmly. “The balls don’t come out of the racket,” he explained. Four years ago, there were more winning returns on volleyed serves, for example. Now, even if I make returns where I’m just not able to do better, the ball stops in the air and the opponent has time to return. For my part, I have to find a power that I have never had since I was young (…) I am able to generate a lot of power crossing the ball, but not on a set ball. »
“Seriously, just play tennis!” »
According to him, even if he recognizes that they are intrinsically more gifted, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are advantaged by this development. Medvedev has been beaten six out of eight times by the Spaniard and has lost seven of his last eight matches to the Italian. “These balls favor players who can generate power on set plays,” he continues. Jannik and Carlos are the only two players capable of generating crazy power. This gives them an added advantage. »
One wonders if the protégé of the Gilles duo (Cervara and Simon) is not targeted by an ATP scheme with weaker opponents against whom he can no longer make a difference and other better ones against whom he has even fewer weapons with which to fight… The nevertheless placid Casper Ruud hardly appreciates the regular chorus of complaints from the Russian.
“You see players complaining about balls all the time,” reacted the two-time Roland-Garros finalist in the Nothing Major Podcast. It tires me so much when I hear: oh, my elbow hurts, I feel this, that. I can’t generate power. This suits this player better… Seriously, just play tennis! »
It’s not too difficult to guess who the Norwegian has in his sights. “The funny thing is, players arrive five days in advance to train. Then they get to the 4th round and they start complaining about the balls. But they’ve been the same balls for 9 days. What is the point of notifying the referee now? (…) What is the point? Just making a drama for nothing? » Maybe just find an outlet to get through his nerves. Because those of Medvedev seem very raw at the end of the season…
