Rafa Nadal wants slower tennis balls to reduce risk of injuries
Saturday 15 October 2016 15:58, UK
Rafa Nadal has called for slower tennis balls which bounce less to be introduced in order to reduce the risk of injuries at elite level.
The 30-year-old Spaniard has won 14 Grand Slam titles, but he has also endured a number of injury lay-offs over the years and he believes the game should be slowed down to extend players' careers.
"Today, we play with much more strength. Almost any player can hit a winning point from any position," the world No 5 told German magazine Der Spiegel.
Nadal says the fast pace of modern tennis often requires a violent change of pace and direction which increases the risk of injury.
"The balls travel faster and when you want to return one, you may have to suddenly stop, while playing at a high tempo, or suddenly change direction," he said.
"It's times like these that you can hurt yourself, it's causing us injuries."
Nadal has not reached a final since winning the Barcelona Open in April, his second title of the year.
On Thursday, he suggested he may call an early halt to his season and hit the practice courts to try to halt a slide in form after his first-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters.
