Tennis: “The ball changes ended up getting Novak’s wrist,” criticizes Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios is not going it alone when he says ball changes between different tennis tournaments are a “problem” that “the ATP absolutely needs to do something about.” Many players have complained about this in recent months.

“I think the biggest problem on the tour this year is the constant changing of balls. We talk about it among players. The balls should remain the same in most tournaments, especially on hard courts. It benefits us all and protects us from injuries,” explained the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in March, just after injuring his shoulder.

“The ball changes ended up getting Novak [Djokovic]'s wrist,” wrote Kyrgios this Wednesday on in Perth. A first setback in more than five years on Australian soil for Djokovic, who felt discomfort in his right wrist the day before against the Czech Republic.

The link between the ball changes and the Serbian's injury is, however, difficult to prove, as is the impact of this injury on his defeat. Accused of discrediting Alex de Minaur's victory, Nick Kyrgios would like to point out that his Australian compatriot “is an incredible player who deserves each of his successes”.

And the former Wimbledon finalist continued: “Those who think that balls are not a big enough factor in injuring an athlete are fools. During a vigorous season, the load placed on a player's elbow and wrist is enormous.

The men's circuit is not the only one affected by controversies linked to balls. In August 2022, several players in the top 10, including Iga Swiatek, expressed their dissatisfaction with the balls used during matches in the women's draw at the US Open, which were different from those in the men's draw.