Overview

• After beating Valentin Royer at the Shanghai Masters, Alexander Zverev said directors are making courts more similar and slower to benefit Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
• Roger Federer raised the same concern last month, urging a return to greater surface variety to test different playing styles.
• Jannik Sinner rejected any suggestion that players influence court construction, saying he simply adapts to whatever conditions he faces.
• Sky Sports cited reports that Shanghai’s Court Pace Index fell into the 32.9 range this year after previously being around 40–41, indicating noticeably slower conditions.
• There has been no formal policy response from organizers or the ATP reported so far; Zverev received on-court treatment for a toe issue and finished his match, while Alcaraz is not playing Shanghai due to a left ankle injury.