Overview

• Speaking during the Laver Cup on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Roger Federer alleged that tournament directors intentionally slow courts to produce predictable marquee matchups.
• Federer said he helped decide the San Francisco Laver Cup court speed and faulted himself for an indoor surface he described as too slow.
• He argued slower conditions act as a safety net that makes upsets harder, which he suggested increases the likelihood of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner meeting in finals.
• As an example, Federer pointed to Reilly Opelka’s loss to Casper Ruud, saying the slow court allowed Ruud to neutralize one of the tour’s biggest serves with deep returns.
• Coverage notes Alcaraz and Sinner have contested the last five finals they played across three surfaces, while no formal responses from tournament officials were reported.