Zverev accuses ATP of favoritism towards Alcaraz and Sinner

Alexander Zverev has witnessed Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner leading the ATP Tour since the beginning of 2024, yet he feels that the event organizers are favoring these two players.

Despite an impressive career including an Olympic gold medal, two ATP Finals titles, and reaching world No. 2, Alexander Zverev has yet to win a Grand Slam. He lost in two recent major finals: the 2024 Roland Garros to Alcaraz and the 2025 Australian Open to Sinner.

In contrast, Alcaraz and Sinner have alternated winning the last eight Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic, aged 38, remains at a high level but admits that beating these two young rivals in five-set matches is extremely challenging.

Roger Federer also made a notable comment at the 2025 Laver Cup, suggesting that court surfaces are being slowed down because organizers want to see Alcaraz and Sinner face off in the final.

Changes at the 2025 Shanghai Masters are seen as evidence supporting Federer’s statement. Previously, the courts there were among the fastest on the ATP Tour, but this year they have noticeably slowed down.

Zverev expressed his dissatisfaction with the playing conditions after his win over Valentin Royer in Shanghai. The German player believes courts worldwide are becoming too similar and echoed Federer’s view that this trend benefits Alcaraz and Sinner.

“I hate it when all courts play the same speed. I know tournament directors are pushing this because they want Jannik and Carlos to perform well everywhere. We used to have distinct surfaces – you can’t play the same style of tennis on grass, hard courts, and clay,” Zverev stated.

While opinions differ on whether this is positive or negative, Zverev’s view that courts are becoming more uniform seems more accurate than Federer’s claim that they are simply slowing down.

For example, this year’s Cincinnati Open was clearly slower than in previous years, despite its reputation as a fast hard court, while the Miami Open – known for being slow – played faster than before.

As a result, the speed differences between tournaments have diminished. Similarly, grass courts have slowed considerably, but some clay events like the Madrid Open no longer exhibit the traditional slow characteristics, making the distinctions between surfaces increasingly blurred.