© Getty Images Sport – Julian Finney
Emma Raducanu liked an X post about Novak Djokovic speaking out against the constant ball changes and claiming that it was to blame for the increased number of injuries in tennis.
In late 2023, ATP and WTA players started criticizing more heavily the constant ball changes on the Tours. One of the big reasons why players’ criticism of the constant ball changes intensified was their belief that constantly changing balls were causing frequent injuries.
When record 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was asked to share his thoughts on the matter, he agreed with fellow players and said that there should be one ball used in all tournaments.
“There is certainly a connection between frequent injuries of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder with ball changes. I am absolutely in favor of choosing one ball with which we will play all ATP tournaments,” Djokovic told Sportal in October.
Novak Djokovic supports players who have spoken out about injuries due to frequent ball changes & says ATP’s silence is incomprehensible:
“There is certainly a connection between frequent injuries of the wrist, elbow, & shoulder with ball changes. I am absolutely in favor of… pic.twitter.com/sdbQAS3Dnb
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 11, 2023
Raducanu, who had surgeries to both wrists in May, stumbled upon Djokovic’s interview and seemingly agreed with everything that the ATP world No. 1 had to say.
Raducanu agrees with Djokovic’s view on the constant ball changes
Raducanu, who turned 21 in November, battled injuries to both wrists for quite some time before deciding to surgically address her injuries. In May, Raducanu also had surgery on her right ankle.
Now, Raducanu is in a much better situation than she was before having surgeries. After ousting Shelby Rogers 6-3 6-2, Raducanu confirmed she was finally “pain-free” and admitted that she was absolutely thrilled about that.
Also, Raducanu said the decision to undergo multiple surgeries was a great one. Now, Raducanu is facing no restrictions or anything like that when she is on the court.
“Yeah, it’s paid off. I don’t have any fear or any restrictions on anything. I’ve passed all the return-to-play markers. My grip strength is higher than ever,” Raducanu said after her opening win in Melbourne.
In the Australian Open second round, Raducanu plays against Wang Yafan.
