By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Friday, August 11, 2023

 Daniil Medvedev believes the excursions must discover a method to standardize tennis balls at every occasion.

World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev feels one of many greatest points nonetheless not correctly addressed on tour is that so many tournaments use totally different tennis balls each week. 

Medvedev introduced up the problem after his straight units 7-6(7), 7-5 loss to Alex de Minaur within the Toronto ATP 1000 Masters quarterfinals. 

Up now on Centre Court on the #NBO23, two of the most effective defenders on the @atptour:@DaniilMedwed vs @alexdeminaur 👀

Winner meets Davidovich Fokina. Get prepared for some lengthy, wild rallies 😁

📸 : @PeterMPower / @GylesD pic.twitter.com/KHYdvOqtTQ

— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 11, 2023

While the previous US Open champion gave full credit score to his opponent, he felt that the balls used in the course of the match wore out too shortly, making them sluggish and tough to play with.

“First of all, he played well. I mean, I felt it was not a bad match. I definitely could have done better to win the first set. I mean, 5-1 on the tie-break, and then 6-4, 5-3 serving for it,” Medvedev mentioned after his match. “So may have performed higher. But usually, I mentioned earlier than the match, I really feel just like the balls now on tour, I do not know why, however they get slower in every single place.

“So every match I saw, and we saw a lot of sensations, in my opinion, it's because when the ball is slower and it gets dead after two games or whatever. Like, second set, we played, I think, long games. When they gave us new balls, we played two long games, and the balls were done,” Medvedev added.

Medvedev additionally feels that some gamers, and never him, have the ability to hit by way of balls as soon as they lose their feeling.

“In basic, I believe it brings the extent nearer of all of the gamers simply because it is robust to hit them. So there are couple of gamers that may, which can be actually robust, and so they, let's name it, penetrate the ball. I do not know if it is a good phrase. Like Carlos (Alcaraz). Like (Alejandro) Davidovich, truly. I believe that is why he is within the semis. I believe Casper Ruud can do it. So some gamers.

And the opposite, like me, I haven't got this energy to generate simply on a sluggish ball with a sluggish ball. And so right this moment, like, with the earlier two opponents, even when they're actually robust, it was sufficient to, for instance, one, one, and one, management the ball, and so they have been in bother. With Alex, it isn't sufficient. You must undergo the ball and you have to assault it. And each time I attempted, I used to be not doing something. And so needed to play these lengthy rallies.”

The problem of balls shedding their sturdiness at occasions is nothing new.

At this 12 months’s Australian Open, many gamers complained that the occasion’s ball went flat too shortly or “fluffed up” even after only one sport. This normally results in longer rallies throughout factors and gamers unable to make the most of spin on their pictures.

Rafael Nadal, at this 12 months’s Australian Open, mentioned this concerning the match’s balls.

“After a couple of hits, the ball lose the pressure. It’s more difficult to hit the right spin,” Nadal mentioned and added “They say (it) is the same, but the ball is worse quality, without a doubt, I think it’s a ball that doesn’t get the same spin as usual.”

On the Australian Open, Medvedev mentioned, “After Australian Open, for certain lots of gamers mentioned. Australian Open was an issue. After this, I do not really feel prefer it's a giant deal on the tour. It's simply my basic feeling, and once more, I'm under no circumstances saying this shouldn't be the case. I'm simply saying the way it feels to me that in all probability I imply, nearly all of the tournaments, so totally different balls. I do not know if it is the courtroom possibly that's totally different so it makes this ball become older.

But right here, similar. Like, on the apply courts first few days, we're hitting with my coach. You hit, okay, to not exaggerate, possibly 20 balls center, and you're taking the ball and you are like, Wow, it is performed.”

Different tournaments utilizing very totally different balls from totally different model probably gained’t change anytime quickly. Tournaments typically enter into long run settlement with particular manufacturers.

While the Australian Open makes use of Dunlop, the upcoming US Open has an extended operating association with Wilson.

Speaking of the US Open, controversy has been with that occasion for a while as the ladies’s occasion has used a lighter balls than the lads’s occasion which makes use of an additional responsibility felt ball. That may very well be altering nonetheless this 12 months, as some WTA gamers have indicated that this 12 months’s US Open can have each males’s and girls’s occasions utilizing the additional responsibility ball.

Jessica Pegula, final week in Washington,DC, mentioned she appears to be like ahead to the change.

"Like I mentioned, the balls right here (Washington DC) are totally different than what we will be enjoying with (in New York). I felt like regardless that it is difficult and I'm attempting to determine the way to get used to them and play by way of it this week, on the similar time, we're going to be switching balls subsequent week so it isn't an enormous deal.

Pegula added, “It will be different obviously for the girls playing with an Extra Duty ball. I'm curious to see how that will maybe, I don't know, be different this year than what we are used to the last few years. But, I mean, yeah, I think we are used to adapting, and I think that's the thing is you just have to adapt to the conditions and not let that overtake your game and frustrate you to where it's affecting everything else.”

Photo Credit: Rob Newell/Camera Sport

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