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The ATP and WTA tours have come under fire for \u201ckilling\u201d tennis players\u2019 bodies. Vasek Pospisil claimed that tennis officials were trying to slow down the game with heavier tennis balls, injuring athletes in the process. And two retired players revealed that they had long-term issues because of the balls they used.<\/p>\n
The US Open has been without some big names this year as some of the sport\u2019s stars remain sidelined due to injury. Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios have barely played this year while 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori pulled out on the eve of the tournament.<\/p>\n
On the women\u2019s side, 2021 champion Emma Raducanu is still recovering after having surgery in May following a long-term wrist injury. And former world No 2 Paula Badosa shut down her season because of a stress fracture in her back.<\/p>\n
The tennis tour are now facing pushback from several current and former players who believe their decisions are causing the physical issues. On Sunday, 2014 Wimbledon doubles champion Pospisil tweeted: \u201cThere were discussions a few years back that the ATP\/WTA wanted to \u201cslow the game down\u201d to have longer points for fans.<\/p>\n
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Just in <\/strong> Daniil Medvedev fears US Open fan’s wife ‘won’t be able to sleep'[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe balls have been getting incrementally heavier and surprise surprise, it\u2019s killing our bodies. Almost every player I\u2019ve spoken to feels the same way. I\u2019ve never seen more wrist, elbow, and shoulder injuries in the locker room. If these changes to the ball don\u2019t start getting reversed, it\u2019s only going to get worse. Please start listening @atptour @wtatour. Player injuries are bad for you too.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadian\u2019s colleagues have been flocking to share their agreement, as several players admitted that the heavier tennis balls gave them long-term injury problems. Former world No 6 Mardy Fish claimed the tennis balls had been an issue for years, leaving him struggling to play a simple game of catch.<\/p>\n \u201cThis can\u2019t be more spot on,\u201d the retired American star said. \u201cI struggled with my arm every day because of the different weight of the balls week to week. Need 15 minutes to warm my arm up now just to play catch with my son.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Noah Rubin – a junior Wimbledon champion who now runs Behind The Racquet – said he was left \u201cdestroyed\u201d by the toll the different tennis balls took on his arm. The 27-year-old added: \u201cSuch an underrated topic. Nothing worse than not knowing how the ball is going to feel week after week. Has destroyed my arm.\u201d<\/p>\n While Pospisil lost in the qualifying event at this year\u2019s US Open and failed to make the main draw, the former world No 25 is well aware of the issues he and his fellow players face. In 2020, he co-founded the Professional Tennis Players\u2019 Association with Novak Djokovic.<\/p>\n And their calls for lower-ranked colleagues to be given better financial security were recently answered by the ATP, who introduced a new minimum wage-style system for players in the world\u2019s top 250. With Pospisil now causing a stir over the heavy tennis balls, he will be hoping that the tennis tours once again listen and take action.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4941200.jpg?r=1693758084490\")
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Boulter sends message to Jack Draper as more Brits bite the dust at US Open[MESSAGE] <\/strong>
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Dan Evans kicks spectator out his box as openly gay players make history[RECAP] <\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4941201.jpg?r=1693758084571\")
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