Former world no. 57 on the ATP Tour, Gastao Elias, slammed the ATP and demanded a compensation for needed physiotherapy.
In recent weeks, tennis players often addressed the situation surrounding the tennis balls in use on the ATP and WTA Tours. WTA's world no. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, was one of the players who talked about the balls, but many ATP players did so too.
Daniil Medvedev was one of the loudest voices, with Carlos Alcaraz echoing his claims. Taylor Fritz also talked about the balls, and while many players dislike them, and some also say they cause injuries, former world no. 57, Gastao Elias took it a step further.
The 32-year-old lost his qualifying match at the ATP Challenger tournament in Buenos Aires to Marco Trungelliti, 1-6, 4-6, and after the match, he voiced his frustration on social platform X, calling the balls in use and their effects "inhumane".
"I demand ATP to pay for all the physiotherapy I will need after playing with these balls they are making us play with. I’ve been on tour for many years and I’ve never seen anything like this. THIS IS INHUMANE!"
Seemingly, the Portuguese tennis player wasn't the only one to disagree with the balls, even though it's been a topic that has been brought up by many ATP and WTA pros.
Quickly, many current players joined him in the comments under his post, and one of them was Tennys Sandgren, who shared Elias' opinion about the balls currently used on the ATP Tour and the ATP Challenger Tour, as well as the WTA Tour.
"I agree. Never seen anything like it."
Another player who agreed with the two was Spain's Paula Badosa. The Spaniard is currently out due to an injury, but she's set to come back at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup Finals. Yet, she isn't happy with the balls used.
"Agree! The issue is not only ATP unfortunately… With the WTA we are having the same problems for years as well. We need a change from both sides."
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