Daniil Medvedev made headlines in the tennis world on Monday, Feb. 9, during his first-round clash at the ATP Rotterdam Open. The Russian engaged in a heated argument with the tournament supervisor based on the shape of the balls being used at the event.
Now, just one day after the incident, Australian star Alex de Minaur and French star Arthur Fils have made remarks on the situation.
Alex De Minaur and Arthur Fils Join Daniil Medvedev on the ATP Rotterdam Ball Shape Incident
During his first-round clash against Ugo Humbert, Medvedev called the tournament supervisor on courtside after losing the first set in a tiebreak. He complained about the unusual shape of the balls being used in the match, specifically noting that the balls were not round.
He called out the HEAD tennis balls, stating, “HEAD balls are not round. So we should not be playing with it. No one should be buying them. We should not be promoting a tennis ball that is not round.”
Just one day after this complaint, Australian star De Minaur spoke on the same issue. In an interview with Bolavip, he said that he struggled with the balls, particularly during practice sessions. He said, “I have struggled a lot in practice. I have actually been quite frustrated with the balls in practice, which is not like me. I do get what Daniil says about the balls.”
Adding to his assessment, he said, “They are definitely not my favourite. I don’t think they are anyone’s favourite balls. They are very difficult to control. It is tough to explain it, but it is a very dead ball. It does suit the big hitters, the players that have a big revolution on the ball and are able to hit through that.”
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Concluding on a positive note, De Minaur added, “But again, it is what it is. The ball or the court is not going to change, and my job is to adapt and do my best and continue doing that.”
Frenchman Fils, on the other hand, didn’t mince words, giving a brutally honest answer, saying, “They are terrible. Really terrible. The ball is very bad. It is unbelievable.”
He described the change in the balls that affect the gameplay in the later stages of the match, stating, “When we are playing at this level, literally playing professionally, very good players, then watching the balls after two games getting bigger and very slow, that is not normal.”
Fils directly addressed the ATP and asked, “I don’t know who is in charge of it, maybe ATP or whatever, but they have to do better, because it is not normal to play with these balls at our level.”
The HEAD Balls Affecting the Gameplay of Professional Players at the Rotterdam Open
Due to the changing behavior of the balls, many professional players faced difficulties during their matches. Despite holding his serve against Humbert throughout the entire match, Medvedev struggled in the tiebreak, losing the first set 6-7(4). Then in the second set, he gained some momentum, breaking Humbert early to take the set 6-3.
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However, the Frenchman bounced back to break the World No. 11 in the third set and took the match 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the second round. Despite reaching the fourth round of the 2026 Australian Open just weeks ago, Medvedev couldn’t capitalize on the momentum and was eliminated from the first round of the tournament, which he won back in 2023.
Despite reporting the struggle with the balls, De Minaur was able to secure his win against Fils. The Australian star showed impressive serving skills, winning 76% of his first serves and 80% of his second serves against the Frenchman, who fired more aces and winners, but committed more double faults and unforced errors.
After trading early breaks, both players took the first set to the tiebreak, where De Minaur scored five consecutive points. In the second set, he broke his opponent twice to win the match 7-6(3), 6-2.
De Minaur will now face Stan “The Man” Wawrinka in the round of 16 match tomorrow, Thursday, Feb. 12, who beat Thijs Boogaard in the first match with the same balls.
