Carlos Alcaraz on Paris Masters Courts: "Totally Different Than Last Year"

Over the past month, much of the conversation around tennis has had little to do with actual matches taking place in the final stretch of the season. Instead, the debate has centered around scheduling and court conditions.

Thanks to a theory introduced by Roger Federer and embraced by Alexander Zverev, some fans believe tournament organizers have used court speeds to aid Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Of course, there is no evidence of tournament organizers conspiring to help Alcaraz and Sinner. Plus, Taylor Fritz pointed out that tennis ball quality can make courts feel faster or slower.

However, that does not stop tennis reporters from seeking early insight from players on how the court feels. Yesterday, Alcaraz discussed court speed and the new venue for the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters in his pre-tournament press conference.

First, Alcaraz was asked about the new venue. This year, the Paris Masters moved from the Accor Arena (Bercy) to the larger Paris La Défense Arena.

"Well, I have to say this is impressive. To be honest. I like so much the new venue. Everything I think is much easier for the players, more comfortable for the players. So I think they made a great change coming here, and I'm just really happy they did it," said Alcaraz.

After a question about scheduling, the third question was about court speed. A reporter asked Alcaraz how he felt on the new indoor hard courts and if he could play better on them than in previous years.

"Well, I mean, this year is totally different than last year. I think it is a huge difference, which I like it," said Alcaraz with a laugh. "You know, it's much slower than last year, but I think it's a really good speed that we can see tennis, not only serve. So you can see rallies, you can see points, you can see tennis. I think it's great."

Alcaraz continued, "Obviously, I've said many times that I like slower courts, not that fast. Obviously, this tournament is not my best one in terms of results, but I love playing here. The time of the year... it's been long. I'm not really used to playing indoors, but year after year, I think I'm getting more used to it. So we will see this year. I hope I'll go further than in previous years."

Despite being the top seed, Alcaraz faces a challenging path to the final. Currently, Alcaraz is the ATP World No. 1 with a record of 67-7 with eight singles titles.

The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters runs from October 25 - November 2. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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