Rafael Nadal issued a warning to tennis leaders that "the sport faces future troubles if equipment evolution makes speed and power dominant over skill and tactics," according to the AFP. The 14-time Grand Slam singles champion said that "rule changes are needed to allow for taller and stronger players using modern racquet technology to make quick work of points and matches." Nadal said, "The sport in general needs to improve in all aspects. The players today are taller than before. The racquets hit the ball harder than before. Same time, it's true that nothing changed in our sport in terms of rules, how high is the net, everything. People get emotional when the points are intense, long. If every time we make that happen less often, it's obvious our sport can be in trouble for the future. ... I'm not talking for my generation but for the next generation. The people like the drama, the rallies. I don't remember amazing matches that was only one serve and one shot." Nadal said that it is "important for tennis to develop stars and rivalries, such as those he has enjoyed with once-dominant Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic." Nadal: "In my opinion, it's not good if a different player wins a tournament every week. People arrive at the tournament and nobody knows who are the favorites. It's difficult because the people need to support one player, so you need the stars. To create the stars you need players that have been there for a long time" (AFP, 3/26).
CONSISTENT TESTING: In a separate piece, the AFP reported Roger Federer believes tennis "does not face a major doping problem" but voiced concern that drug testing protocols "are not being taken seriously enough in certain parts of the world." Federer believes "there should be more consistency in the hunt for dope cheats," saying that "he gets tested more in his homeland than anywhere else." Federer said, "I've been in Dubai for 10 years now and been tested once. That's not OK for me. I get tested more in Switzerland because the guy from Switzerland lives in my village. He comes to see me the day after my surgery. In certain countries, maybe the testing is not as serious as in Switzerland. I would like to see that across the board to the same way and fair." Federer said that he was "shocked to learn" that Russian Maria Sharapova tested positive at the Australian Open for meldonium. Federer: "It was very disappointing news to say the least." He also said that he "tends to give fellow players the benefit of the doubt, but is skeptical when those who test positive plead ignorance or accident" (AFP, 3/25).
WOMEN'S BALL: In London, Barry Flatman wrote equal prize money for men and women "is all well and good in Andy Murray’s view, but woe betide anyone who makes him play with a ball manufactured for the women’s tour." Keeping "his cool on a tennis court is never easy for Murray and, with the temperatures rising at the Miami Open, he was furious when a rogue red-label Penn ball, only for use in WTA matches, found its way into the second set of his Miami Open win over Denis Istomin, of Uzbekistan." The error occurred because "a ballboy had recovered the ball from a courtside flowerbed after Serena Williams’s preceding singles win." That was "no consolation to the Scottish second seed who repeatedly voiced his displeasure to Mohamed Lahyani, the umpire." And even though Murray moved on from the incident to win 6-3, 7-5 his "displeasure remained strong." Murray said, "You can’t play with women’s balls. I thought something was wrong when I saw the Penn logo in red rather than black, just as I was about to serve on break point down." WTA Supervisor Pam Whytcross admitted that "Murray had a point." She said, "Certainly our ball is lighter to the players and I know whenever some of the women have played with the heavier ball, with black lettering, they complain of sore arms, wrists and shoulders" (LONDON TIMES, 3/28).
