"It did not take Daniil Medvedev long to realise he was in serious trouble at the French Open. As he tried to find a way past Britain's Cameron Norrie in the first round, Medvedev simply did not feel comfortable on the ball. With his prospects of advancing in one of the biggest tournaments in the world dwindling, the 29-year-old settled on a drastic solution. Medvedev requested completely different strings when he sent his rackets for restringing mid-match, switching from a hybrid of natural gut and polyester strings to a full polyester setup."
"The quality of balls across the tour has been one of the most significant talking points and sources of frustration among players around the world. That's probably the biggest difference I can notice, compared to maybe 10, 15 years ago, Novak Djokovic says. It's the balls. One of many significant challenges in elite tennis is adjusting to the differing conditions each week, including the constantly changing balls. Different tournaments have their own contracts with ball manufacturers, which presents other issues."
"Until 2023 I had never done it, Medvedev says. Something started to change on tour, I had to adapt. Now I'm never sure."
Daniil Medvedev changed his racket strings mid-match at the French Open, switching from a natural gut/polyester hybrid to full polyester after feeling uncomfortable on the ball. Players now routinely alter string tension and sometimes string type to cope with varying ball behaviour. Slight changes to ball properties across tournaments have forced players to adapt equipment and technique. Tournament-specific contracts with ball manufacturers produce inconsistent balls week to week. Many players report faster ball deterioration than before, complicating shot control and increasing injury risk. High-profile players including Novak Djokovic and Emma Raducanu cite ball quality as a major contemporary challenge.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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