It should be mentioned that the very first time Dima Ovtcharov tried the DHS plastic ball, he liked it very much. Also, former professional players I know love the Nittaku Premium (and the D40+ also when I gave them some).
https://www.tabletennisdaily.co.uk/...rij-Ovtcharov-happy-with-the-new-DHS-ABS-ball!
Of course, if manufacturers can make the new balls even better, that would be great, but the fact is that it was ITTF that insisted on sneaking in an increase in ball size and weight when they mandated a change to plastic (owing to a "a worldwide cessation of celluloid production" that didn't actually exist). When TT balls are a full 1.0 mm greater in diameter, and around 0.07-.10 grams heavier, they will always behave differently.
At least the DHS D40+ and Nittaku Premium ABS balls are round, they bounce the same height as celluloid, and consistently, which is marked contrast to all of the cellulose acetate 40+ balls rushed to market in 2014, which were
a crime against table tennis. The DHS D40+ balls are also very durable and inexpensive.
Finally, it doesn't seem like Chinese players had any problem adapting to the ABS balls at Dusseldorf, which had some of the best matches I have ever seen, including an epic final between Ma Long and FZD. I think some of the complaining from Chinese quarters right after the Asian TTC was cover-your-ass excuses for a rare bad tournament, which ironically became completely moot after the strange events of the China Open.