Former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev admits he has concerns that the type of balls being used at hardcourt events could be causing damage to players’ health.
Dunlop is the current manufacturer of the balls which has been used at tournaments such as the Australian Open, Rotterdam and Doha. Medvedev describes the product as ‘super fluffy’ after a couple of uses and says the impact of hitting them is a similar feeling to ‘throwing a heavy ball.’ The Russian played with the balls throughout the Qatar Open where he won his 17th Tour title after beating Andy Murray in the final on Saturday.
Medvedev dropped only one set in four matches played in Doha but continues to have reservations about the quality of balls being used at Tour events. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he revealed he previously felt pain in his wrist after playing with them before finding out that some of his peers have also experienced similar situations.
“I think the toughest for me was to get used to the balls. I want to talk a little bit more about it because in Australia I felt like these balls were not good for hard courts, and in the match with Korda, before the match, I had a very big pain in my wrist, but I thought, okay, that’s my problem, so I’m not going to talk much about it,” said Medvedev.
“Then in Rotterdam, a doubles player came to me and started talking about balls and (said) that everyone has problems with their elbow, wrist. He thinks it’s because of the balls. I was like, ‘Wow, so I’m not the only one.’”
The world No.8 cites some examples of players who have suffered such injuries, including Holger Rune who withdrew from his second-round match in Rotterdam due to a wrist problem and Sebastian Korda who retired from his Australian Open quarter-final match last month with a similar problem.
“I think that these balls are not good for hard courts. They get very fluffy. It’s a big shock to play them with your racquet. I think this should be reconsidered because I feel like if I don’t do enough work on my wrist every day it’s gonna be very painful.” He said.
Medvedev is within his right to express his concerns to the ATP or speak to members of the Player Council. However, he has so far only spoken with tournament supervisors about the issue. Although this could change if more players weigh in on the topic.
“If there are going to be 15 players that come out and say, ‘Yeah, I feel the same,’ then it’s a problem of the balls. I’m just going to wait and see what happens when other players get asked this question.” Medvedev commented.
The 27-year-old will return to action next week at the Dubai Tennis Championships where he will be the third seed in the draw after Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev.
