Zverev blasts the tournament for altering court speed to "fix" things for Sinner, plunging into another denial crisis!

The Shanghai Masters has drawn significant focus recently because of the hot weather, with the tournament's entertainment value and attention intensifying as the National Day holiday advances.

Yet after yesterday’s competition, Zverev’s "comment" ignited lively discussions, stemming from the fact that the court speed at this year’s Shanghai Masters was altered. Additionally, Federer had previously mentioned this during an interview with Roddick. When Sinner was asked about Zverev’s remarks after the match, the world number two candidly stated that the truth is different; the organizers would not deliberately change the court speed just to favor Sinner’s results.

Looking at it from another angle, rather than assuming the tournament intentionally adjusted court speed to help both Alcaraz and Sinner achieve better results, it’s better to examine how these two players, including Zverev, have performed on all surfaces this year.

Alcaraz’s transformation this year is quite evident. After losing to Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals, failing to defend his title at Indian Wells in the Sunshine Double, and an early exit in Miami, Alcaraz then staged an impressive comeback.

On fast hard courts, including the US Open and Cincinnati, he won all the titles. Although his Cincinnati win was aided by Sinner’s unexpected withdrawal, the US Open victory was a solid achievement, crowning him the new king of hard courts and defending champion, with his serving skills visibly improved.

On his preferred grass courts, although he did not achieve the legendary three consecutive titles like Federer or Djokovic, he still secured runner-up at Wimbledon and won the Queen’s Club title after two years, which is a respectable record.

On clay courts, he completed the big three by winning Monte Carlo, Rome, and the French Open. Even on indoor hard courts, previously his weakest surface, he broke through by claiming his first title in Rotterdam.

As for Sinner, on hard courts—both fast and slow—his performance remains consistently strong. Over the past year or so, in this domain, he has only lost a few times to Alcaraz; other opponents rarely gain an advantage against him.

On the relatively less favorable clay courts, he twice finished runner-up in Rome and the French Open. At Wimbledon, he finally matured and defeated Alcaraz to claim his first title.

Regarding Zverev, aside from his monotonous playing style and physical limitations, his mental state has often been criticized. Since finishing runner-up at the Australian Open earlier this year, apart from winning his hometown Munich tournament, he has yet to secure any other titles.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that fans jokingly say, if he trusts Federer’s comments so much this time, why doesn’t he actively work on the other areas the Swiss legend mentioned that need improvement?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Luo Cheng Qi Ye)