Nadal raises concern after ATP called out for Djokovic injury ahead of Aus Open – Hindustan Times
With the ATP getting blamed for Novak Djokovic’s wrist injury, Rafael Nadal has questioned the size of tennis balls in Australia after his Brisbane International exit.
The ATP has been criticised recently for their equipment changes at every event. Even Nick Kyrgios slammed the organisation and blamed them for Djokovic’s injury.
It has been reported that the Serbian even complained to ATP CEO Andrea Gaudenzi over players having issues with their equipment. Meanwhile, even Daniil Medvedev complained that changing tennis balls between events was leading to more injuries.
Nadal crashed out of the Brisbane International, losing to Jeff Thompson in the quarter-final. Meanwhile, he received a time violation warning during his Round of 16 win vs Jason Kubler. Nadal explained that he needed to change his clothes due to Australia’s humidity.
Complaining over the size of tennis balls, the Spaniard said, “To be honest, the ball in that end of the first set was super big. Was difficult to move the ball the proper way. I think the ball gets too big sometimes, especially under these humid and night conditions. I don’t know what’s going on with the ball, but it’s dead. With the new balls, of course the situation change a lot.”
Nadal made his much-awaited comeback at the Brisbane International, which began on December 31. He will be looking to impress at the Australian Open. He has been out of action since last January when he hurt his hip flexor during a second round defeat at the Australian Open. Then fast forward to May, a little more than a week before the start of the French Open, the Spaniard announced that he would miss the Grand Slam event, and he wasn’t sure about the exact date of his return.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, he spoke about the possibility of 2024 being his final year of competitive tennis. “It is a reality, there are many chances that it will be my last year without any doubt. There are chances that it may only be half a year, there are possibilities it may be a full year, that we may not be able to reach all that.. these are things right now I do not have the capacity to be able to answer, this is the truth,” he said.
