Zverev accused the tournaments of favoring Sinner and Alcaraz

The first days of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, China brought many complaints from players about hot weather and high humidity, causing great difficulties for performance. Humidity ranges from 60 to 80%, combined with temperatures of about 30 degrees Celsius, creating a feeling of heat up to nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Some players such as Arthur Cazaux (France) or Francisco Comesana (Argentina) have had health problems during their matches. Novak Djokovic also spoke out about this issue after the match, although he affirmed that it is a common challenge that must be overcome.

High humidity is also said to be the reason why the playing style of tennis players in Shanghai this year is unusually slow compared to previous years. However, world number three Alexander Zverev gave a different explanation. The German tennis player criticized the similar speed between the court surfaces in the tournaments, and condemned the tournament organizers for believing that there was a conspiracy to prevent him and other candidates from challenging the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner.

"I hate the fact that the court surfaces are too similar, the speed of the courts in every tournament is similar", Zverev said after overcoming French player Valentin Royer to win a ticket to the next round. 1/8 Shanghai tournament on October 4. "I know the organizers of the tournaments are deliberately going in this direction because they clearly want to create conditions for Jannik and Carlos to play well, thereby reaching the finals ".

In "Sascha 's opinion", Alcaraz and Sinner will be at a greater disadvantage on fast courts. In other words, unifying court speed gives a certain advantage to the world's number one and number two players, and they don't have to struggle to prove their ability to adapt to different playing conditions.

The 28-year-old also recalled a reality in men's tennis: "Before, you couldn't play the same style of tennis on grass courts, hard courts or clay courts. Now, you can almost play the same way on everything. face yard. I do not support this. I think tennis needs different playing styles, needs diversity, and that's what we're lacking right now."

Zverev's argument has many similarities with Roger Federer's recent statement, when the Swiss legend also criticized the homogenization of court speeds and expressed his desire to see Alcaraz and Sinner compete on extremely fast courts. fast.

"I understand tournaments want to be safe when slowing down the court ", Federer commented during an event on the sidelines of the Laver Cup in San Francisco, USA at the end of September. "With that speed of the court, weaker players have to have very excellent shots to overcome Alcaraz and Sinner. But if the court is fast, they can hit a few shots at the right time and win. That's why tournaments tend to want Alcaraz and Sinner to reach the finals. Nowadays, you can win Roland-Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open with just one shot. ".

In tennis, the concept of "court speed" refers to the speed of movement and bounce of the ball after hitting the court. A fast court causes the ball to retain a lot of speed, go fast and bounce low; while a slow court causes the ball to retain a lot of speed, go fast and bounce low; (slow court) causes the ball to slow down and often bounce high, creating conditions for players who specialize in defense or durable play.

The ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai tournament has reduced court speed significantly this year. In 2024, this tournament has a pitch speed index (CPI) of 42.4, but currently it is only 32.8. Thereby, the tournaments in Toronto (Canada) and Cincinnati (USA) became The only two Masters 1000 tournaments on hard courts had a CPI exceeding the 40 mark, the threshold considered a fast court, with 44.7 and 43.7 respectively.

Zverev's statement created many mixed reactions, because he was considered the main rival of Alcaraz and Sinner, but himself had a disappointing year of competition. In fact, right here in Cincinnati – the Masters 1000 has the second fastest field during the year – both Alcaraz and Sinner reached the finals.