Alexander Zverev is tired of slow courts, and he is not shy to admit it. The Third German German expressed his views on the issue after his victory over Valentin Ryer in Shanghai.
He even pointed his finger at the two -headed monster at the top of the ATP ranking, insisting that the tournaments are the court’s speed for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s strengths.
“I hate when it is alike, to be honest,” Zverev noted. “I think the tournaments are heading to this direction because, of course, they want Jannik (sinner) and Carlos (Alcaraz) to do every tour well, and that is what they prefer.
“Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on any surface. I don’t like it. I am not its worshiper. I think tennis needs different styles of play, tennis needs a little variety, and I think we are missing now.”
Interesting to credit Alcaraz and Sinner responsibly for a tendency that has been in motion for several decades. Wimbledon slowed its play surfaces in the early 2000s, passing to a different seed that allowed a higher bounce, in an effort to introduce more rallies into the Grass Court game.
Linking the public’s love with the grinding rallies of the Nadal-Djokovic rally also played a role. The Tennis of Service and Volayut has been at the exit for a while now, and the shot has become the new word in the sport.
Perhaps the rise of Sinner and Alcaraz gives the powers that are another reason to extend the trend by keeping the speed of the court slower, but, as the sinner says, it does not belong to him what speeds of each tour for his difficult courts.
The sinner was asked about Zverev’s comments after his loss 6-3, 6-3 of Daniel Altmaier.
“I and Carlos, we don’t make the courts,” he said. “It’s not our decision. We try to adapt to every situation. I feel like every week is still a little different. I’ve played a great tennis even in faster courts. But I’m not making the courts, so I just try to adapt and play my best tennis, and that’s it.”
