© Getty Images Sport – Emmanuel Wong
Aryna Sabalenka confirmed that the balls used in Beijing aren’t perfect but also highlighted that she has no issues with them since she is doing well. After Zizou Bergs, Stan Wawrinka and Taylor Fritz criticized the constant ball changes on the ATP Tour, Medvedev joined in by comparing the balls used in Beijing to “a grapefruit.” After beating Katie Boulter 7-5 7-6 (2) in the Beijing second round, Sabalenka was asked about Medvedev’s comments and how she personally felt about the balls used in Beijing.
“Yeah, that’s actually true. Like after couple of games, I cannot imagine what’s happening with the men’s game because the rallies are longer and the ball’s getting even bigger. Yeah, like today after couple of games, the balls were getting like heavier and bigger.
Because of that, the game was getting slower. It’s tough. It’s actually tough conditions. I don’t know, but it seems to work good for me, so I’m like, It’s okay. No, I would prefer actually probably different balls for this surface, yeah,” Sabalenka said.
Aryna Sabalenka© Getty Images Sport – Fred Lee
Sabalenka agrees with Medvedev the balls used aren’t great
In Beijing, several players have publicly spoken out against the constant ball changes on the ATP Tour, with some claiming those ball changes are to blame for more players experiencing injury problems.
When Medvedev was asked about the balls used in Beijing, he suggested the balls become very low quality after a long rally. “As soon as you play some shots with them, they go very big, much (fluffy)… it becomes like a grapefruit.
We’re basically playing 30-shot rallies because it’s almost impossible to hit a winner. With these balls, you have to be 100% on every point, until the last point of the match. I managed to do it well so this, I’m happy about,” Medvedev told AFP. So far, the ATP hasn’t made any comments regarding the criticizing surrounding the balls used.
