Roger Federer said the tennis placers should be treated with respect to boys and girls in respect of the stadiums following Fernando Verdasco's injury due to a towel to dry the sweat.
Verdasco was sharply criticized by social media last week after he appeared to be bullying one of the boys in the stadiums for not bringing the towel fast enough during the semi-final defeat at the Shenzhen Open. The 30-year-old video quickly appeared shouting nervously at the boy, prompting criticism from fans and experts.
Federer refused to comment on Verdasco on Tuesday, admitting the possibility of nervous dislocation during the competition, but stressed the need to respect boys in stadiums.
"We are always trying to treat the boys in respect of the stadiums in recognition of them and for the great effort they are making.
"But it's not easy for every player to control his nerves very much."
Federer, who was himself one of the boys of the stadiums early in his life, said most of the boys in the stadiums are well aware of the pressure on the players, but it is important for them to take this good experience in tournaments.
"The boys in the stadiums are very important to us because they may represent the future of tennis," said the Swiss player, who is currently in the Shenghail tournament.
"I was happy when I left the stadium and everything went well," he said of his time at the tennis courts.
"There are no negative feelings, we should not let them leave the stadium and they feel they have not received the required recognition or have had a terrible experience.
Not long ago, players like Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors brought their drinks and took care of themselves in between.
But these days, the spoiled players sit out of the stadium and just ask for drinks, ice, bananas, towels, new rackets and anything they need. But that may change.
In the closing tournament for young players to be held in Milan next month, which will feature the best male players under the age of 21, players will have to use fixed shelves to hang towels at the end of the stadium to "reduce the burden of boys in the field of bringing towels to players."
