New balls please, plead men's tennis stars

The small furry objects that are the focus of every tennis player's energy are spinning the stars at the ATP Finals into a fury and leaving them deflated.

- 

"The balls are a big problem," said world No. 2 Alexander Zverev.

Many of the top players say all the brands have deteriorated and most dislike playing with different makes of ball from one tournament to the next.

At the ongoing ATP Finals in Turin, there has not been a press conference at which the subject has not popped up.

The ATP, which runs the men's tour, has had a partnership agreement with Dunlop since 2019 in a deal until 2028.

But it said the Japanese manufacturer's balls are used only "by around half of the tournaments on the circuit", including four Masters 1000 events and this season-ender.

The four Grand Slam tournaments, which consume over 50,000 balls each, and provide manufacturers with much sought-after exposure, have separate deals.