Stefanos Tsitsipas risked incurring the wrath of the tennis community on Tuesday night by complaining about having to fetch his own towels and claiming that “it’s the ball kids’ job to provide them”.

The towel rack is one of a number of reforms being trialled by the Association of Tennis Professionals at the Next Gen ATP Finals, in which the best under-22 players compete in Milan.

The innovation was designed to remove the slave-like state ball kids are often reduced to by players demanding a towel from them between points.

Fernando Verdasco was universally condemned for barking at a ball kid at the Shenzhen Open in September, but he is by no means the only offender.

Going against the grain of public opinion on Tuesday, Tsitsipas, the Greek world No. 15, said: “One thing I didn’t like that much was the towel thing. I always had to run for the towel, always had it in my mind.