Alexander Zverev has been enjoying a great run in Paris and the 27-year-old is only one win away from clinching his second Masters title of the year. Zverev found his groove in the final Masters of the year after producing subpar performances in recent tournaments. Do the fast courts in Paris help his revival? It might as well be.
Zverev, who reached the French Open 2024 final, was asked on the Tennis Channel whether more events should take place on faster courts. The World No. 3 agreed with that point without pausing to consider, stating it gives everyone a “different look at tennis.”
“It’s more entertaining. We kind of basically play on the same speed of surface or court throughout the whole year, whether we play on clay, hard, or grass. It kind of feels the same, almost. I always like when there is a change-up. I always like when there is something different.”
And the German is not wrong. It’s been a while since anyone has seen him play at this level. Zverev reached the Paris Masters final after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune along the way. Should he triumph in the final, it would be his second Masters 1000 title of the year following his success in Rome. It also happens to be his only title this year.
️ “There’s no variety in tennis anymore.”
Alexander Zverev talks about the current landscape of professional tennis.#RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/GEJVIVOfBV
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) November 1, 2024
Zverev also mentioned how the balls have slowed down, something he observed from the start of COVID-19. He believes this has led to the lack of variety in tennis, which is why the sport doesn’t have a lot of different play styles.
“I talked to some factories and some manufacturers. They have changed it as well. The balls are about 30-40% slower on average. We are playing on slower surfaces and slower balls nowadays. Is that the path forward for tennis? I don’t know. maybe.
“Now everybody kind of plays the same style of tennis. There are no game styles anymore. There is no variety in tennis anymore. Now It’s all about power. Now it’s all about who can hit the ball harder. Balls and surfaces take a big role in playing that.”
Zverev is not the only player to have commented on the administrators not doing enough when it comes to making the game exciting. Carlos Alcaraz also vented out his frustration after exiting the Paris Masters.
Alcaraz slams Paris Masters for having faster courts
While Zverev seems to like the idea of faster courts, Alcaraz isn’t a big fan of it. The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion slammed the organizers for the court speed following his shock three-set loss to Ugo Humbert in the round of 16.
“When I play the first match, you know, the stats came out that it is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the Tour right now. This is crazy. Probably and the fastest one, you know, in the last ten years in this tournament. I don’t know why they do it. I don’t know why they have changed a lot, you know, a court from other tournaments and obviously in the same tournament, you know, comparing to other years.”
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It is not surprising that Alcaraz has struggled on fast hard courts. Although the 21-year-old has been able to rule clay and grass surfaces, he has been facing criticism for not maintaining that same level at hard courts, especially the faster ones.
Alcaraz enjoys coming to the net often to win rallies. On clay and grass, this front-foot approach can be effective. But, on the fast hard courts, it offers less success.
The Spaniard’s shot power gives him a huge advantage on his favorite surfaces, but this is not the case on faster courts. With the ball already moving at a rapid pace, there is no need to generate much power. Instead, a simple flick can sometimes do the trick for his opponent.
In faster courts, it goes beyond merely dominating an opponent and finding quick winners. It also has to do with holding long rallies and forcing the other person to make errors. This is the reason players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev have had reasonable success on that kind of surface since all these players are very good at playing long rallies and frustrating opponents.
From Zverev’s recent interview and his form in Paris, it suggest that he has cracked the code to be successful in faster hard courts. Perhaps it’s something Alcaraz should work on to elevate his game. He is after all just 21 years of age. With time, he may also master the art of playing on this type of surface.
