“Not Easy Mentally”: Vasek Pospisil Criticizes Stressful Bubble at French Open 2020

The French Open is in full swing at the moment. While the competition is getting filtered by the day, players are not afraid to register their comments on the ‘bubble.’ Vasek Pospisil is the latest athlete to take shots at the organizers for creating an unsatisfactory environment for the players to compete in. 

30-year-old Pospisil crashed out of the singles tournament in the first round, and he just can’t wait to leave the bubble once his doubles stint is over.

“As soon as I’m done with doubles, I will leave the bubble because it’s not a very good bubble here they made for us,” Pospisil said, via Reuters. 

The Canadian alleged that he’s desperate to leave the bubble as it degrades one’s mental health. “It’s not easy mentally to be in it. As soon as I have an opportunity to leave the bubble, I will.”

Vasek Pospisil says US Open bubble was much better 

Vasek Pospisil had a decent singles outing at the 2020 US Open. His run into the Round of 16 was his best showing at Flushing Meadows, and it came on the back of staying in a comfortable environment.

Of course, organizing a Majors tournament amid a pandemic is no easy task. But if the players feel like they’re trapped in their rooms, it will indeed take a toll on their performance. 

“It’s much worse,” Pospisil said. “At least for the players, the hotel we’re staying at, it’s tough. We don’t have anything.” 

“The U.S. Open there was a much bigger effort I felt from the organization to make the time in the bubble a little bit more comfortable for the players. That’s for sure.”

Even the US Open bubble faced a lot of backlash for the way certain things had transpired. A couple of players had to withdraw due to precautionary measures. While all that happened, there was a silver lining of being confined to the US Open bubble. 

Players had access to mini-golf parks, football pitches, and other kinds of distractions that would help them blow off steam. But in Paris, these factors are missing which diminishes the outdoor activities that the players can enjoy. 

“I mean, I think almost every player I’ve spoken to was sharing the same opinion. It’s not easy to be stuck in the bubble,” Pospisil mentioned. “You don’t want to be on-site all day because it’s also a stressful environment, right?”

“The only place you can go is the hotel. It’s not easy because you can’t even get fresh air. But that is what it is.”

Pospisil joins the list of players who are against the new Wilson balls at Roland Garros

The likes of Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem aren’t happy with the new balls being used at Roland Garros. Extreme conditions called for different and long-lasting balls, and the organizers took a decision.

They moved on from French company Babolat and struck a deal with Wilson to manufacture sturdy and heavier balls for the 2020 French Open. Vasek Pospisil is unhappy with the new balls, which can cause the player to take quite a hit on the arms or the body.

“Currently the players have no input. The players should definitely have some input because changing balls every week or every two weeks is not easy on the body, on the arms,” he said.

Vasek Pospisil who is currently spearheading the PTPA along with Novak Djokovic mentioned how their association has no significant say on the balls. He also mentioned that the PTPA currently has “zero input” on the balls and hopes that it will change in the coming tournaments. 

Pospisil is out of the men’s singles tournament but has his doubles fixture coming up. Pospisil and his partner Jack Sock will take on Denis Shapovalov and India’s Rohan Bopanna.