Alexander Zverev criticizes quality of ATP balls by comparing them to rubber balls in soft tennis

Alexander Zverev is not a fan of slow tennis balls and expressed his frustration at the balls used in the recently concluded Rio Open.

Alexander Zverev criticizes quality of ATP balls by comparing them to rubber balls in soft tennis

Alexander Zverev (Image via ATP/X)

Alexander Zverev has been vocal about the quality of tennis balls used in ATP tournaments. He thinks the balls are much slower than what they used to be before, and due to this, players are falling prey to wrist and elbow injuries.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist is in Acapulco for the ATP 500 tournament. Ahead of his opening-round match, the German reacted to a video of soft tennis and compared the rubber ball that was used in the match to that of the ATP tennis balls.

YouTube video

Here’s the video:

FS Video

Seems like normal 2025 tennis balls to me.

Alexander Zverev wrote on Instagram story

Check out his post here:

Alexander Zverev's Instagram story
Alexander Zverev’s Instagram story

The 27-year-old had also criticized the balls used in the Rio Open. Following his win over Alexander Shevchenko in the round of 16, he admitted that he dealt with some difficulties while playing.

I’ve had some difficulties with the balls here, the Wilson balls tend to be flat, which isn’t good for my elbow. This is another issue that players have been talking about a lot over the last year, two years, a lot.

Alexander Zverev said at the press conference

Fabrice Santoro explains what he thinks is wrong with Alexander Zverev

Former ATP pro Fabrice Santoro shed light on Alexander Zverev‘s struggles while playing and revealed the similarity he found between Zverev and Gael Monfils. According to Santoro, Zverev’s defensive approach yields results that’s why he is reluctant to play more aggressively.

Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev (Image via ATP/X)

The truth is that the German player is still too defensive, but that doesn’t stop him from winning many matches thanks to his weapons. His problem is similar to the one Gael Monfils has had throughout his career. Many people have wondered why Gael has never played further forward. The problem is that – when you’re already competitive enough without playing offensively – it’s hard to get out of your comfort zone.

Fabrice Santoro told L’Equipe

Zverev will be in action on Tuesday (February 25) during his opening-round match at the Mexico Open. He is set to lock horns with Matteo Arnaldi for the first time in his career. Zverev is on his quest for his first ATP title of the season.

After losing to World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final, the World No. 2 flew to Buenos Aires to kick start his Golden Swing campaign. In the two tournaments he has played so far in the South American continent, Zverev was defeated in the quarterfinals of both the Argentina Open and the Rio Open.