Casper Ruud calls out players complaining about tennis balls: "Just to make the drama out of nothing?"

Casper Ruud recently called out his colleagues for their constant complaints about tennis balls. It has become a hot-button issue in the sport lately.

Top players such as Novak Djokovic, Vasek Pospisil, and Taylor Fritz are increasingly vocal about how changing ball types across tournaments may be causing more injuries, specifically in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder. They argue that ball inconsistency forces players to adjust frequently, straining muscles and joints.

While complaints have been fewer on the WTA side, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, among others, have also voiced concerns.

Casper Ruud, however, sees things differently and made his feelings clear during his appearance on the Nothing Major podcast. He expressed frustration with his colleagues’ complaints, criticizing them for making "drama out of nothing."

"You see players complain about the balls all the time. I’m getting so tired of like ‘Oh, I feel my elbow… I feel this, that. I can’t produce power. It suits this player..’ Come on. Just play," he said.

The Norwegian continued:

"For me what’s funny is some players come like 5 days in advance to practice. And I do it myself a lot of the times, unless you’re going from tournament to tournament. They string like 28 racquets to get the right tension. Then they come to the 4th round and start complaining about the balls. But it’s been the same balls for the past 9 days."

"What’s the point of bringing it up now to the umpire? Like what is he gonna change? Yeah, let me call Dunlop. I’ll have them send over a can for you. What’s the point? Just to make drama out of nothing?” he added.