Former ATP world No. 1 Andy Roddick and Stan Wawrinka have voiced concerns regarding the quality of tennis balls supplied by the event’s officials at the Indian Wells Masters. Coaches and players expressed their frustrations as the main draw matches began on March 6 after the qualification rounds started.
After hearing complaints about the poor balls being used by two well-known coaches, Roddick took to social media to express his frustration.
Roddick wrote on X: “I have gotten two texts from two of the top coaches on earth in the last hour saying how bad the balls are at Indian Wells. This was after a handful of minutes of a warmup. How has this problem not been fixed over time?”
The criticism draws attention to an ongoing problem at the competition, sparking discussion about whether the balls this year have gotten worse or if the issue has always existed. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, a Vietnamese-American tennis player, responded to Roddick’s assertions by stating that the courts of the competition may be the problem rather than the balls themselves, calling them incredibly slow and rough.
Stan Wawrinka added to the controversy by discussing his own experience on X, challenging the validity of such standards at one of the top tennis tournaments in the world and criticizing the balls’ quick deterioration after just one rally.
Have gotten two texts from two of the top coaches on earth in last hour saying how bad the balls are at Indian Wells. Apparently this was after and handful of minutes of a warmup. How has this problem not been fixed over time? @Served_Podcast subject this week pic.twitter.com/cblwaOCO2H
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) March 5, 2024
Stan Wawrinka in 2024
LLWLLWLWLW Now the world no.70, Wawrinka played his last match on the 20th of February when he was overcome by world no.52 Facundo Diaz Acosta 7-5 6-4 in the 1st round in Rio De Janeiro (draw).
During this season Stan has managed to achieve a composed 1-3 match record.
