Overview

• After defeating Valentin Royer at the Shanghai Masters, Zverev said tournament directors are making surfaces more uniform and slower because they prefer Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to go deep at events.
• Jannik Sinner rejected any suggestion of player influence, saying he and Alcaraz do not decide court speeds and that he focuses on adapting week to week, including on faster courts.
• Media reports cited a steep drop in Shanghai’s Court Pace Index to roughly 32.8–32.9 this year from about 40–42 in previous editions, indicating significantly slower conditions.
• Roger Federer raised similar concerns last month, calling for greater surface variety, while analysts note that court homogenization has been a longer-term trend dating back to the early 2000s.
• No formal response or policy changes from tournament organizers or the ATP were reported, and Alcaraz is absent from Shanghai with a left ankle injury as the debate continues.