At the ATP Masters in Shanghai, Alexander Zverev not only made headlines with his victory over qualifying Valentin Royer, but above all with a explosive guess.
The Hamburger accuses the tournament organizers to make the tennis world one-sided in favor of its rivals Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner-about the creeping adjustment of the game coverings.
“I hate it when the deposits can be played almost the same everywhere,” said Alexander Zverev after his 6: 4, 6: 4 success on Saturday. The world ranking in third sees a clear tendency: “I know that the tournament directors do this because they obviously want Jannik and Carlos to do well at every tournament-and that is what they prefer.”
Zverev, a member of the ATP player council for years, warns of the loss of diversity in tennis. “Ten years ago you couldn’t play the almost the same tennis on lawn, ashes or hardplace. Today. I am not a fan of it, I think tennis needs different styles.”
Prominent support for Zverev
While Zverev is still waiting for his first Grand Slam triumph, Sinner and Alcaraz have dominated the events on the Tennis World Bühne in the past two years-there were four titles for the Italian and the Spaniard.
Sinner promptly defended himself against the allegations on site in Shanghai: “Carlos and I don’t do the courts, it is not our decision. For me, they still feel slightly different every week.” He also played heavily on faster coverings.
However, Zverev receives support from a highly prominent corner: Roger Federer, who is probably the most elegant player ever, had called for years ago to differentiate the coverings more. This is the only way to create real competition.