Sore loser? Alexander Zverev claims playing conditions are set up to favor Sinner and Alcaraz

Tennis world No. 3 Alexander Zverev has claimed that tournaments around the world are setting up their surfaces to ensure world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 2 Jannik Sinner make the final.

Zverev was speaking after beating 24-year-old French qualifier Valentin Royer in the second round in Shanghai.

Consistent slow surfaces favor Alcaraz and Sinner

According to the German, the surfaces are all the same on the tour now. “I think the tournament directors are going toward that direction because they want Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] to do well at every tournament, and that’s what they prefer,” said Zverev.

The three-time Grand Slam finalist, who is yet to win a major, said he doesn’t like it when the surfaces are all the same. “I’ve been on tour for ten, over ten years — eleven, twelve years now actually — and we always had different surfaces.

“You always had tournaments you liked and tournaments you didn’t like so much. You couldn’t play the same tennis the same way on grass, hard, or clay.

“Nowadays, you can play almost 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.”

Federer agrees with Zverev

According to Roger Federer, tournament directors are slowing surfaces down because that gives an advantage to Alcaraz and Sinner, who are widely recognized as the best players on the tour at the moment.

“I understand the safety net that tournament directors see in making the surface slower. For the weaker player, he has to hit extra amazing shots to beat Sinner, whereas if it’s quick, he can maybe blast a few at the right time and get past”, said the Swiss great.

“That’s what the tournament directors think — they kind of like Sinner and Alcaraz in the finals; you know, it kind of works for the game,” said Federer.

Do slow courts favor Alcaraz and Sinner?

Both Alcaraz and Sinner love long rallies and have elite movement, balance, and shot tolerance, that means slower courts allow them to use their their athleticism and defensive skills to extend points, outlast opponents, and turn defense into offense. They also both hit with heavy topspin and have great court coverage, which ups their win rate when rallies lengthen.

That said, Sinner hits flat and aggressive, so fast surfaces help his first-striker tennis. His 2024 indoor record was incredible.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, is highly adaptable. He’s won Slams on all surfaces and while he can certainly dominate when the court is slow, he doesn’t need that to be successful.

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