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Zverev Claims Tournaments Favor Sinner and Alcaraz With Court Speeds

Alexander Zverev said tournament organizers are adjusting court speeds to help Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Pat Benson|
Alexander Zverev accused tournament organizers of favoring Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Alexander Zverev accused tournament organizers of favoring Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. | IMAGO / Xinhua

ATP World No. 3 Alexander Zverev kicked off his Shanghai Masters campaign with a convincing win over qualifier Valentin Royer. Zverev defeated Royer in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4.

However, the tidy win was not enough to stop Zverev from latching onto a growing conspiracy theory and taking a swipe at tournament organizers. Zverev was asked about consistency in court speeds during his post-match interview and did not hold back.

"No, I hate when it's [court speeds] the same, to be honest," Zverev said flatly. "And I know that the tournament directors are going towards that direction because obviously they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament and that's what they prefer."

Zverev continued, "But I've been on tour for ten years, over ten years, eleven years now. Twelve years now, actually. You know, we always had different surfaces. We always had tournaments which you liked and tournaments that you didn't like so much.

You couldn't play tennis the same way on a grass court, hard court, and clay court. Nowadays, you can play the same way on every surface. I don't like it, I'm not a fan of it. I think tennis needs game styles, tennis needs a little bit of variety, and I think we're lacking that right now."

Zverev is most likely referencing comments made by Roger Federer at the Laver Cup (which he played in last month). Federer said tournament organizers tailored court speeds to benefit Sinner and Alcaraz, helping get them to the finals.

However, media and fans have quickly debunked that theory with data. Court conditions are monitored closely, and each of the hard court Masters 1000 events has varied in CPI (Court Pace Index) as well as weather conditions.

The CPI of the Shanghai Masters has slowed down from 42.4 in 2024 down to 32.8, according to Tennis Updates. Again, there are other conditions like climate and the tennis balls that can impact court speed.

But there are not enough facts supporting the theory that tournament organizers are manipulating court speeds to benefit Sinner and Alcaraz (the latter is not even playing in this year's Shanghai Masters).

After today's win, Zverev will improve to 48-20 on the year. He faces Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 32 on Monday, October 6. The ATP Shanghai Masters runs through Monday, October 12.

Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers professional tennis for Serve on Sports Illustrated, reporting on ATP and WTA events worldwide. From Challenger tournaments to Grand Slams, he brings readers in-depth coverage, daily recaps, and exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport. With a decade of experience in sports journalism, Pat is recognized as a trusted voice in tennis media. You can contact him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.

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