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Tennis Stars Accuse Tournaments of Favoring Sinner and Alcaraz
4 Oct
Summary
- Zverev claims tennis bosses changing court surfaces to benefit Sinner and Alcaraz
- Federer made similar comments, suggesting tournaments want Sinner and Alcaraz in finals
- Slow courts in Shanghai a talking point, with calls for more court surface variety
As of October 4th, 2025, top-ranked tennis players have accused tournament organizers of unfairly favoring rising stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. World No. 3 Alexander Zverev claims that tennis bosses are deliberately changing court surfaces "to make sure that Sinner and Alcaraz do well at every tournament."
This comes after similar comments from tennis legend Roger Federer during a recent podcast. Federer suggested that court and ball speeds have become standardized across events, with the goal of facilitating matchups between Sinner and Alcaraz in tournament finals.
The slow courts in Shanghai this week have been a major talking point, with Zverev arguing that tennis needs more variety in court surfaces to challenge different playing styles. Both he and Federer believe the current homogenization of court conditions is unfairly benefiting the young rising stars at the expense of established players.
