Daniil Medvedev accused the Shanghai Masters organisers of favouring players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner with their choice of balls.
Medvedev was forced to dig deep to beat Matteo Arnaldi 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to keep his hopes of a first title in 2024 alive.
Medvedev had a cheeky swipe over the balls in use
It was a battle full of extended rallies and lasted for nearly three hours.
After his victory, he wrote on the camera ‘nice balls’ amid his complaints throughout the tournament.
He was asked: “What are you changing? The other players are changing, given the balls, that you said you don’t like so much. What are you changing to get the best out of this situation?”
In response, he said: “I don’t think anyone is changing. I think it basically favours people who can generate power from dead balls.
“Some have better quality with this. Some don’t. Actually the two best players at doing this.. they’re already the best players in the world.. and I’m sure they would be without the balls, but with these balls.. they’re the only players who can generate crazy power. It’s Jannik and Carlos.
“It gives them an extra edge. But I try to fight with what I can. We practise a lot. I try to get this power, which I’ve never had since I was young. Because of the way my body type is.
“There were even tests on the muscles that measure power, explosiveness, and I don’t really have the explosiveness.
“I can generate a lot of power like going through the ball, but not when the ball is stopped. I try to do what I can. I still play not bad. I’m fighting and I wanna go all the way.”
Reflecting on the game, he added: “It was a very tough match, a very close one. I actually felt like that’s where tennis is funny.
“I felt like in the first set, I was probably the better player, had more opportunities. I didn’t manage to [win] it, played a bad game at the end of the set.
Medvedev made his feelings clear on the TV camera
“In the other sets, I thought it was closer. Maybe even he had the edge on some of the moments, but that’s why tennis is crazy.
“You can win when you don’t expect it, and lose when you expect to win, so I’m happy to be here again in two days.”
Medvedev will face either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Alexandre Muller in the next round.
