'Super slow and heavy': Tennis stars lash out at balls used during French Open

French Open this year has garnered a lot of criticism after delaying their play in autumn instead of summers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Many players complained about the cold weather earlier, and now they have been complaining about the balls used during the tournament.

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The Roland Garros switched its game balls from Babolat to Wilson balls.

"The ball is completely different," defending men's champion Rafael Nadal told reporters last week. "The ball is super slow and heavy. (There are) very cold, slow conditions.

"I think (it's) not a good ball to play on clay, honestly. That is my personal opinion. It's not the right ball to play on clay courts." Nadal has found it difficult to spin the ball on clay court due to chilling conditions.

British ace Dan Evans agreed with the Spaniard and said that some of the balls you "wouldn't give to a dog to chew."

"I think the balls are the biggest thing," he said of the challenging conditions, while also acknowledging the cold.

The Briton lost to Kei Nishikori in the first round on Sunday.

"Maybe they got it a little wrong with the balls. It's tough to get that ball to go anywhere. It's in what month, September, October? That ball is a bit too heavy, I think," he added.

The winner of recently-concluded American Grand Slam Dominic Theim said that the previous balls used (Babolat) during the Roland Garros was "perfect" for topspin and his "favorite ball."

However, some players like Daniil Medvedev supported the new balls as it suited his game.