Former coach and ATP Tour player Sven Groeneveld has caused a stir after accusing popular Australian John Millman of ball tampering.
Groeneveld tweeted a video to his 13,000 followers showing Millman rolling two tennis balls over his shirt during his heart-breaking five-set loss to Roger Federer on Friday night.
“Millman applying the old trick in speeding up the first serve by rolling the ball on his (I assume) wet shirt before he serves?” Groeneveld wrote.
“Is that legal in tennis I know it’s not in other ball sports like cricket and baseball? Do we have a rule in tennis?”
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https://t.co/r3hhmjM09I pic.twitter.com/805VAxRFcr
— Sven Groeneveld 🍊 (@sventennis) January 24, 2020
The theory behind the tactic is that it makes the ball skid when it lands, making it more difficult to return.
While the USTA has a rule that states ‘a player may not use a ball to wipe off perspiration’, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rule book does not include a similar regulation.
That didn’t stop a heated debate among tennis fans and former players, including Australian doubles legend and popular commentator Todd Woodbridge, over Millman’s use of the tactic.
What happens when you put it in the pocket of your wet shorts?
— Todd Woodbridge (@toddwoodbridge) January 24, 2020
I thought wet balls travel slower??
— povacrat (@povacrat) January 24, 2020
This is pure cheating and the player isn't supposed to do anything that will change the way the ball is gonna behave and when you wet the balls they speed up.
— FTW 💯+3 (@IamIVK) January 24, 2020
Milman was in clear violation of rules in here.
It was the one thing that detracted from the quality of the match.
— Adam Barker (@_adam_barker) January 25, 2020
