Evans joins defending champion Rafael Nadal in criticising tennis balls used at this year's French Open
Sunday 27 September 2020 18:49, UK
Dan Evans was ultra-critical of the tennis balls used at this year's French Open, saying he wouldn't give them to a "dog to chew".
Evans suffered a five-set loss to former top-10 stalwart Kei Nishikori in the opening round of the Grand Slam.
The British No 1 is no doubt more used to playing in cold, damp and windy conditions than Nishikori, who lives in Florida, and his battling efforts proved to be in vain as he went down to the Japanese player.
Speaking at his press conference, Evans joined Rafael Nadal in voicing his concerns at the new balls used at the event following Roland Garros's decision to change its official ball from Babolat to a new heavier Wilson ball.
The conditions and ball lead to a lower, less lively bounce, allowing opponents to counter more easily, and Evans said: "Some of those balls we were using, you wouldn't give to a dog to chew, so it is what it is. It's brutal. It's so cold. I think the balls are the biggest thing.
"Maybe they got it a little wrong with the balls. It's tough to get that ball to go anywhere and in September, October, that ball is a bit too heavy, I think."
Evans has reached his career-high ranking this year and pulled off some of his best wins but has won only two matches across three Grand Slam tournaments.
"They've been pretty poor if we're being totally honest," he said of his performances at the biggest events.
Don't forget to follow us on skysports.com/tennis, our Twitter account @skysportstennis & Sky Sports - on the go! Available to download now on - iPhone & iPad and Android
