PARIS — French Open organizers have had enough problems dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the dwindling number of fans on site and inclement weather, but they faced another controversy on Friday — criticism of the choice of ball for this year’s edition.
Roland Garros has switched to Wilson balls for the 2020 tournament after using Babolat for many years and 12-times champion Rafa Nadal was not impressed.
“You have to take care because with these conditions, you can’t practise that much because the ball is super heavy,” the second-seeded Spaniard told reporters on Friday.
“Different brand than last year, a new ball. The ball is much slower than the previous years. If we add these conditions of cold and humidity, then it is super heavy.” — Reuters
