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By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Gamers ought to load up baggage coming into Melbourne Park.
They will be on court docket for some time.
Welcome Bash: Djokovic Thrills in AO Return
9-time AO champion Novak Djokovic expects Melbourne marathon matches to abound for one easy purpose: the Australian Open Dunlop ball fluffs up with use making it harder to finish factors.
For that purpose, the fourth-seeded Serbian sees this AO shaping up as a struggle of attrition.
“The tennis ball has modified this 12 months. I imply, it’s totally different from final 12 months,” Djokovic advised the media in Melbourne after rolling by means of 10 of the final 11 video games to comb Roberto Carballes Baena 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in his AO opener. “I imply, the longer you play, the extra rallies you play, the fluffier or the larger the ball turns into, and it is slower.”
Dunlop provides all of the tennis balls to be used in the course of the Australian Open. Six new balls are used for the five-minute warm-up and the primary seven video games, with six new balls supplied each 9 video games thereafter.
Gamers say the slower ball, mixed with court docket situations, could make it a problem to punctuate factors.
“I noticed that Popyrin is enjoying now over 4 hours. Ruud performed over three-and-a-half hours,” Djokovic mentioned. “I believe we’re going to see extra of these longer length of matches this 12 months than we’ve got perhaps final 12 months.
“One of many largest causes will most likely be the ball as a result of notably on the massive courts, I do not assume the pace of the floor has modified a lot. The skin courts are fairly fast. The stadium courts are a bit slower. However the ball is slower. In order that impacts the play.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydVuU4W1MM4
Reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal mentioned the official Dunlop ball is of “worse high quality” and suggests it is more durable to create topspin with the ball.
“The pace of the court docket I believe not massive distinction. The ball, sure,” Nadal mentioned. “I do not know. They are saying is identical, however the ball is worse high quality, certainly. We won’t discuss that any extra. It is what we’ve got. We have to play with it.
“I believe it is a ball that do not get the identical spin as typical. After a few hits, the ball lose the stress. It is harder to hit with the best spin.
“However I believe it is simpler to play while you play flatter on the photographs. However I must stay with it. I believe I practiced sufficient with the ball to be prepared for it.”
Picture credit score: Clive Brunskill/Getty
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