Carlos Alcaraz lashes out on ATP for trying to injure all players with frequent change in ball weights
Alcaraz is set to face Andrey Rublev in his second match of the 2023 ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz (Source: Tennishead)
Carlos Alcaraz recently lost to Alexander Zverev in his first match of the 2023 ATP Finals and it came as a shock to many. This was the Spaniard’s third defeat in a row and it is the first time that the player has lost three back-to-back matches since March 2021.
This shows that he is really suffering from a rough patch and needs to make a comeback soon. He has already lost the battle to become the year-end World No. 1 to Novak Djokovic.
After the defeat against Zverev, Alcaraz lashed out at the ATP for several reasons. He first pointed out that the court used in the ATP Finals is a lot faster than the ones that were used in the previous hard court tournaments throughout the year.
Moreover, he went on to say that the constant change in the weight of the balls in different tournaments throughout the year is leading to many players being injured and that it must be stopped immediately.
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.
Alcaraz will face Andrey Rublev next in the ATP Finals. The Russian will also head into this match after losing his first match against Daniil Medvedev. It will be an important match for both the players as a defeat in this match would practically end their chances to qualify for the semifinals.
They have been drafted into the red group alongside Medvedev and Zverev, and the top two players from this group at the end of the group stages will head on to the semifinals.
Carlos Alcaraz asks ATP to stop changing the balls in different tournaments
Alcaraz pointed out that they have used over 20-21 different balls across all the tournaments throughout the year. This constant change in balls causes many injuries. The Spaniard also opined that making the ball constant will increase the quality of the tournaments a lot more and he advised them against using so many different balls.
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 will now face Andrey Rublev in his next match for the first time in an ATP tournament.
In case you missed it:
- Novak Djokovic calls his 8th year-end World No. 1 trophy as the ‘Crown of the season’ as he becomes the first-ever to do so
- WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas savagely ignores Carlos Alcaraz before kissing girlfriend Paula Badosa prior to his opening match at the 2023 ATP Finals
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Rishab Dutta
(794 Articles Published)