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Courts kept slow to ensure Sinner vs Alcaraz in finals: Roger Federer calls for more variety in surface speeds

Roger Federer admitted that even he is complicit in ensuring slower court speeds for longer matches but has urged tournament directors to ensure that fans get to see the likes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz adapt to different surface

Federer has also said that the phenomenon has probably resulted in returning of service becoming less of a challenge. (AP Photo)

Court speeds as a topic of discussion has been rumbling along in the background of the sport of tennis for years now and the legendary Roger Federer has now called for a change in the attitude of tournament directors to ensure more variety in styles of play. Courts across tennis, particularly at Wimbledon had been deliberately slowed down to ensure longer matches at the start of the 21st century.

While it resulted some epic encounters, particularly between Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, the Swiss great now feels that the move is limiting the styles of top players. “I understand the safety net that tournament directors see in making the surface slower,” Federer, 44, told Andy Roddick’s Served podcast. “For the weaker player he has to hit extra amazing shots to beat Sinner, whereas if it’s quick he can maybe blast a few at the right time and he gets past. That’s why the tournament directors are like, ‘Oh I kind of like to have Sinner and Alcaraz in the finals.’ It kind of works for the game.”

Alcaraz and Sinner have emerged as the dominant players of the current generation, especially since Federer and Nadal retired. Djokovic has been beaten by either Sinner or Alcaraz in semi-finals of Grand Slam tournaments since he won his last Major title at the 2023 US Open. This year, Sinner and Alcaraz became the first pair in the open era to contest three grand-slam men’s singles finals in the same season, at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

‘Now everybody plays similar’

Federer admitted that even he is guilty of doing it as one of the decision-makers at the ongoing Laver Cup. He said that tennis needs a variety of speeds and fans have to see how the likes of Alcaraz or Sinner adapt to each of them. “We need to have not only fast courts, but what we would want to see is Alcaraz or Sinner figure it out on lightning fast and then have the same match on super slow and see how that matches up,” he said.

“Now everybody plays similar. It’s because the tournament directors have allowed it with the ball speed and the court speed that every week is basically the same. That’s why you can just go from winning the French Open and Wimbledon and the US Open just playing the same way.”

Federer has also said that the phenomenon has probably resulted in returning of service becoming less of a challenge, thus affecting players who have a big serve. “I feel like they [players] return so easily nowadays,” Federer said. “I don’t know if the conditions are a bit slower or they are just better at it. Making returns was hard. Now, they stand there.”