Recently, Alexander Zverev claimed that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz receive an advantage from tournament directors, suggesting they want both players to reach the finals. The German argued that the court speeds at major tournaments have become too similar, which benefits players like Alcaraz and Sinner.
Following his first-round win over Daniel Altmaier at the Shanghai Masters, Sinner was asked about Zverev’s remarks and made it clear that neither he nor Alcaraz have anything to do with how courts are set up.
“You know, me and Carlos, we don’t make the courts. It’s not our decision,” Sinner said. “We try to adapt ourselves in every situation. I feel like every week is still a bit different. I’ve played some great tennis even on faster courts. But I’m not making the courts, you know, so I just try to adapt and play my best tennis, and that’s it”.
The debate was first sparked by Roger Federer, who, during an appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, suggested that tournament organizers might be tailoring court conditions to favor Alcaraz and Sinner. Federer also compared the current era to his own, pointing out that surface speeds used to vary significantly, whereas now they all feel much more similar.
Federer’s take on court surfaces
Federer voiced his concerns about the situation, pointing out that in his era, the contrasts between surfaces were far more distinct, which required players to adjust their game styles accordingly. He implied that tournament organizers today would rather see Alcaraz and Sinner reach the finals, tailoring court conditions to suit their strengths.
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“The tournament directors think: ‘I prefer to have Sinner and Alcaraz in the final.’ In a way, it works for tennis,” Federer told Roddick. “In my era, only about 12 tournaments really mattered, so everyone played on their favorite surface, and sometimes we didn’t face each other — those were the best matches: attacker versus counterpuncher”.
“Now, however, everyone plays in a similar way, and that’s because tournament directors have allowed the ball and court speeds to make every week practically the same. We’d love to see Alcaraz or Sinner on super-fast courts and then on super-slow courts to really see the difference,” he added.
