Tennis fans who were hoping for more trash talk between Taylor Fritz and Arthur Rinderknech after their match at the Dallas Open came away empty-handed. The two competitors played it cool, and there was no wishing each other a “nice flight” back home.

However, Fritz was still in the mood to take shots after soundly defeating Rinderknech in straight sets: 6-4, 6-2. The American tennis star is still upset about the quality of tennis balls used at last month’s Australian Open.

In his post-match interview with the Tennis Channel, Fritz revealed that he has been recovering from an oblique injury and offered a surprising cause for the issue.

Fritz said, “I was trying to recover a little bit from an injury; I had already injured myself before. It was my oblique; it was caused by the balls that were supposed to be the same ones we were using here and the ones we were using in Australia, but they just weren’t.”

Fritz continued, “They were the deadest balls ever, so I threw my whole body into every shot I hit. I think I maybe slightly tore something, but I’ve been rehabbing it the whole time here, just trying to get it good to play tonight. It felt pretty good tonight, so I’m happy.”

Fritz is far from the only player on the ATP Tour who is unhappy with the quality of tennis balls over the past few years. Daniil Medvedev has been one of the most prominent voices on the issue and reiterated that balls were a big reason behind his struggles after his loss at the Dallas Open.

Fritz’s argument makes sense. He has a trustworthy reputation and is not known for crying wolf. Additionally, the 27-year-old was playing the best tennis of his life toward the end of last season before suffering a third-round exit in Melbourne last month.

Currently, Fritz is the World No. 6 with a record of 7-2. Fritz faces Denis Shapovalov in the Round of 16 tonight at 9:10 p.m. EST. The Dallas Open is an ATP 250 tournament that runs through February 9.

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