Stan Wawrinka did not hold back in voicing his displeasure at the state of tennis balls being used at the Indian Wells Open.
Wawrinka is set to make his 13th main draw appearance at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Since his debut appearance in 2006, the three-time Grand Slam champion has made the round of 16 or better at this tournament on eight occasions, including last year.
The 38-year-old is a former finalist. Compatriot Roger Federer denied him the ultimate prize in California while competing in the 2017 final. Like most of the 96 men who appear on this year's entry list, Wawrinka has set foot in Palm Springs ahead of the 2024 edition.
Wawrinka hit out at the tournament and even tagged tournament director Tommy Haas in a social media post aimed at directing criticism of the quality of balls he was allocated during his practice session. The Swiss one-hander snapped two tennis balls, one of which was worn out.
"Question : Is not normal that in 2024 at @BNPPARIBASOPEN one of biggest tennis tournament in the world, we have to do are 2nd practice with old balls ?? @atptour@TommyHaas13 Thats 1 rally play with the ball."
The 2015 Roland Garros champion asserted that he practiced with old balls during a second practice and that the balls became fuzzy after just one rally. The discourse around tennis balls has been raging for quite some time now.
Players have shared their insights about the dangers of frequent ball changes on the ATP Tour, with Wawrinka among those on the front line of this argument.
The tour has received this feedback, and it is believed they are working with the tournaments behind the scenes. However, nothing concrete has emerged from those discussions as it is quite a rigid process because of sponsorship reasons.
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