The ATP tournaments have been known for congested fixtures that often make players not compete in half of the competitions in a year. But the continuous attempts by players to bring tournament organizers to a compromise paid off this year. However, another issue that has since been growing is the issue of the ball. Two months ago, Daniil Medvedev warned that if organizers keep changing the ball for every tournament the game would suffer.
Just after Carlos Alcaraz was seeking a change of fortune, the Spaniard fell to an unexpected defeat to Alaxander Zverev at the ATP Finals and the 20-year-old star admitted the ball made life in court crazy.
Carlos Alcaraz fears for fitness with ATP’s frequent ball change
Tennis players have often complained about the frequent change of ball in every ATP tournament. Besides that, the ATP has said that the reason for that is because of the different major sponsors each event has and that they cannot change. Yesterday, after Carlos Alcaraz lost to Alexander Zverev after winning the first set, the Spanish star revealed that all the best players will be injured if the ATP doesn’t stop changing balls so frequently.
Carlos Alcaraz made this known via Turin Press: “They should do something, because it is incredible that in three or four tournaments in a row, each one has a different ball. I think each tour should have the same ball. In Australia, the same ball. In South America, the same ball.”
“Don’t change it every tournament. I think if I’m not mistaken we have played with 20 or 21 different balls throughout the year. It is crazy. There are many players injured by this. If ATP wants to have the best in every tournament, they should change this or they will all be injured,” Alcaraz added.
Hopefully, the ATP will do something about the ball issue because it has become an every tournament discussion after opening games. Organizers must prioritize athletes when signing deals with sponsors because they are both equal in what they bring to the table.
Alcaraz hopeful of reaching semis despite losing opening game
Two-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz fell to defeat at the hands of Alexander Zverev 7-6 (3), 3-6, 4-6. The Spaniard is still waiting for his first win at the Nitto ATP Finals after missing it last year due to injuries. 2021 ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev also missed last year’s edition after tearing ligaments in his right ankle in the French Open semifinals.
“I had a few break points that I couldn’t take, and I think that was the key of the match,” Alcaraz said. Carlos Alcaraz had trouble adjusting to the court’s speed. “This surface is the fastest on the year, that’s for sure. I don’t know why they put this kind of surface at the end of the year because all the tournaments that we have played on hard court is so, so slow. Then we come here to the Masters and they put this court so fast.”
“I served very well. That helped. I didn’t twist my ankle. I just kind of slipped. And kind of maybe pinched my Achilles, my capsule a little bit,” Zverev said. “Hopefully it’s nothing too major and I can continue playing.”
Still, Alcaraz enjoyed the experience of the fancy lighting and the tunnel leading out to the court. “The best walk-out that I’ve ever done,” the Spaniard said. “It was an unbelievable experience for me to play my first match, even if I lost.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz hopes to advance from the group stage, with the top two finishers in each four-man group reaching the semifinals.
