Daniil Medvedev has made headlines once again for his criticism of the Shanghai Masters balls. Claiming that they are very slow, the Russian stated that such balls are helpful to the “two best players in the world” at the moment – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – for a specific reason.
After his round-of-32 match against Matteo Arnaldi, an interviewer asked Medvedev if he, like other players, was attempting to alter his game due to the balls. However, the Russian denied that anyone was changing their game, saying some are better with those balls than others.
He believes that these balls are better suited to Sinner and Alcaraz’s game because of the “crazy power” they generate.
“Actually the two best players at doing this.. they’re already the best players in the world.. and I’m sure they would be without the balls, but with these balls.. they’re the only players who can generate crazy power. It’s Jannik and Carlos. It gives them an extra edge,” told Medvedev.
Medvedev also revealed that he had undergone muscle tests, which proved that he lacked explosiveness. However, the Russian claimed that he can still generate a lot of power in his shots but not when the “ball is stopped.”
“There were even tests on the muscle that measure power, explosiveness, and I don’t really have the explosiveness. I can generate a lot of power like going through the ball, but not when the ball is stopped. I try to do what I can. I still play not bad. I’m fighting and I wanna go all the way,” concluded the world number 5.
Medvedev says the balls in Shanghai benefit Jannik Sinner & Carlos Alcaraz the most
“What are you changing? The other players are changing given the balls, that you said you don’t like so much. What are you changing to get the best out of this situation?”
Daniil: “I don’t think… pic.twitter.com/8I9Tj7k2oH
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 6, 2024
Earlier, in his clash against Arnaldi, he received two code violations and a point penalty for getting into an argument with the umpire.
Medvedev’s on-court outbursts
The frustration of not having good enough balls triggered an emotional outburst in Medvedev, who ended up badmouthing the umpire and receiving a penalty during his hard-fought win on Sunday.
This is not the first time that Medvedev has lost his calm over tennis balls in Shanghai. Earlier, in his opening match against Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth, he went as far as to call the supervisor in the middle of the match to complain about the balls. He stated that the balls weren’t really good for a professional tennis tournament and termed them “ridiculous.”
“These balls are not good enough for professional tennis. This is one of the biggest tournaments in the world and the balls are destroyed after 5 games. No pressure at all… It’s ridiculous,” he told the supervisor.
The 2021 US Open champion has now made his way to the round-of-16 stage, but his opponent is yet to be determined.
