Tennis Australia has renewed its deal with the manufacturer Dunlop for another five years, despite criticism from top players over the quality of balls
Tennis Australia has renewed its deal with the manufacturer Dunlop for another five years, despite criticism from several top players over the quality of balls at this year’sThe likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are among those who have complained about the balls, which they say wear down quickly and lose pressure, becoming softer and making it more difficult to hit winners.
“Tennis Australia and Dunlop have renewed their partnership for a further five years,” a TA spokesperson said. “Dunlop has a long history of producing high-quality tennis balls with consistency, durability and little variance. Dunlop is the most-used ball on the international tennis tour. After demonstrating the balls’ lack of bounce to the umpire during his second round match against Alex Molcan, Canada’s Felix Auger Aliassime said the situation was “crazy” and the balls “terrible”.
John McEnroe, the seven-time grand slam champion-turned commentator, dismissed the furore and said the debate over ball quality was “much to do about pretty much nothing”.