Daniil Medvedev has backed Novak Djokovic by once again expressing his concerns over the issue of different tennis balls being used at different ATP Tour events.
The world number 3 admitted he fears he will have shoulder pain “for the rest of his life” and expressed hope a solution can be found.
Medvedev has sharply criticized the recent use of the Head tennis ball at tournaments in China, while several players have suggested that changing balls from one event to another contributes to shoulder and wrist injuries.
The 27-year-old is competing at the Vienna Open this week, where he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 7-6(6) in the semi-final on Saturday. He will face either Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev in the final of the ATP 500 tournament, of which he is the defending champion.
After her quarter-final victory over compatriot Karen Khachanov in Austria, Medvedev returned to the ball-switching issue and warned it could have serious physical consequences for players if not resolved.
“You hit the ball ten times and you feel like each time it gets bigger and bigger. It swells a lot. I don’t want to have shoulder pain for the rest of my life. I hope a solution can be found,” said the Russian.
In an interview with Sporty Earlier in October, world number 1 Djokovic lashed out at sports authorities, including the ATP, for their inaction and silence on the issue.
“There is certainly a link between frequent injuries to the wrist, elbow and shoulder during ball changes. I am absolutely in favor of choosing a ball with which we will play all ATP tournaments,” said the Serbian.
“It’s different and more difficult with the Grand Slams because each of the biggest tournaments we play negotiates separately which sponsor they will have for the balls, but this also happens on the ATP Tour.
“Each tournament has the right to negotiate. However, we just have to find a way to unify, so that in each category of the ATP Tour we have a ball to play with, depending on the surface. Sometimes this ball change happens three times in three weeks depending on where we play, and it affects the health of the players and the joints themselves.
“In this sense, I support the players who are complaining and asking the ATP to find a way to resolve the problem. They must find a solution. I have not seen that the ATP has issued a statement regarding the complaints of the player, and these are things that are incomprehensible to me.
“When you have top tennis players trying to reach you in public and saying, ‘Hey, let’s talk about this topic,’ you have to make a statement and go to them and say, ‘Okay, we let’s understand, let’s sit down at the table, let’s talk.
“I don’t understand why there is silence on their side. I hope they realize that there just has to be direct communication. Likewise, it is appropriate to publicly announce that they have received this information regarding their work, in the sense that they will see how to find an acceptable solution. Silence won’t change anything.
“Let’s see if there is a process where questions are asked of players and answers are sought from a larger group of players, among a hundred players, to see what everyone thinks, to see the consensus. There must be some activation, I don’t understand why there is silence on their side.”
Djokovic is expected to return to action at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris next week, having last competed in the Davis Cup group stage in Malaga last month.
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