Tennis fans flooded social media after Alexander Zverev took a swipe at the Shanghai Masters organizers, accusing them of tailoring the court conditions to benefit Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The German’s comments stirred heated debate across the tennis community, especially after Sinner’s composed response to the controversy.
What Prompted Alexander Zverev To Criticize the Shanghai Masters Court Conditions?
Zverev’s frustration came to light following his second-round victory over France’s Valentin Royer. During his on-court interview, he voiced discontent over the slow court surface, suggesting that tournaments were intentionally adjusting conditions to favor the rising stars of the ATP Tour.
His remarks mirrored those made by Roger Federer during the Laver Cup celebrations in September. Federer, speaking on Andy Roddick’s ‘Served’ podcast, claimed that event directors often slowed surfaces to give top players like Sinner and Alcaraz an advantage, as it makes it harder for underdogs to overpower them on faster courts.
“I hate when [court speeds are] the same,” Zverev said. “I know that tournament directors are going in that direction because obviously they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament. We always had different surfaces. You couldn’t play the same tennis the same way on a grass court, hard court, and a clay court. Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface.”
While Federer’s remarks sparked mild debate among fans, Zverev’s echo of those comments reignited the discussion with much sharper reactions. Many tennis enthusiasts took to X to express disbelief and disagreement with the German.
“This is such a baffling take to me, because what surface, exactly, are Sinner and Alcaraz not successful on right now?” tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg posted.
Another fan took aim at Zverev’s tendency to air grievances, writing, “Well, Zverev has now the habit to complain on something each tournament he is taking part instead of solving his own problems and lack of adaptability to surface, to tennis balls, to opponents, to climate.”
Another fan countered Zverev’s implication with statistics, noting, “Out of his 20 losses this season only two of them have gone to either Sinner or Alcaraz. Thirteen of them, I believe, have been to players outside the top 10.”
One fan wrote, “Zverev’s ranked 3rd and will not go any higher while Jannik and Carlos are active players. Sucks to be him! But blaming the courts? Get Real! Adapt or die, that’s the name of the game.”
How Did Fans and Jannik Sinner React to Zverev’s Criticism?
The controversy gained further traction when reporters asked Sinner about Zverev’s remarks following his second-round win over Daniel Altmaier. The Italian star, who cruised through the match in straight sets, offered a calm and diplomatic response that many fans viewed as a refreshing contrast to Zverev’s fiery tone.
“Well, I don’t know what to say, to be honest. You know, we [Carlos Alcaraz] don’t, at least I don’t make the courts. I just want to play tennis to be honest and try to play as good as I can,” Sinner said.
Sinner’s composed reply drew widespread praise online for handling the situation maturely. Others mocked Zverev’s complaint about slower courts, arguing that the German actually performs worse on faster ones. “Zverev complaining about slower courts is hilarious,” one fan posted.
“First of all, there are still fast or medium-fast courts that exist, and most importantly, Zverev is even worse on faster courts than he actually is. The guy doesn’t know how to take the ball early and rush his opponent. On faster courts, Jannik eats him alive.”
Some fans pointed out that Zverev’s comments seemed unnecessary, especially since Federer’s original remarks were made in a different context. “It was actually Federer who made that comment on Roddick’s podcast, but it was a more nuanced statement than that,” a user wrote. “Zverev is echoing Roger, when he shouldn’t be, because he’s still active and he sounds bitter.”
Another fan expressed frustration with Federer for starting the debate in the first place. “I really don’t know what purpose it served for Federer to air this, except perhaps to cause discord, which it has. Being the pragmatist that he is, Sinner did not fuel the debate. Hope others follow suit!”
Looking ahead, both Zverev and Sinner reached the third round in Shanghai, where they will face Arthur Rinderknech and 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor, respectively.
MORE: Roger Federer Under Fire From Tennis Fans After Bizarre Comment Involving Jannik Sinner
