Alexander Zverev has voiced his thoughts on the Paris Masters court, describing it as “strange” following Carlos Alcaraz’s earlier complaints about the indoor surface feeling like clay.
Zverev secured a win against Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the opening round and is now set to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round. Currently ranked No. 3 on the ATP rankings, Zverev has had a decent 2025 season. Highlights include reaching the Australian Open final, winning the BMW Open title, and making it to several Tour-level quarterfinals and semifinals.
After his run at the US Open, Zverev expressed concerns about the courts being slowed down, suggesting it may give the top two players an advantage. He also remarked on the increasing uniformity of playing surfaces, noting that the difference between hard courts, clay courts, and grass courts has diminished.
At the Paris Masters, Zverev reiterated similar complaints about the court conditions. He criticized how the slow surface and low ball bounce make it difficult to execute and be rewarded for good shots. He explained, “I don’t want to sound like I’m always the one complaining about this every week, but I think the surface here is quite strange. It’s very slow, and the ball bounces very little. It’s difficult to hit good shots. Even when you hit a good shot, it feels like it’s not rewarded. If you hit it hard with spin, the ball stays low. If you hit it hard, the ball loses speed.”
This comes shortly after Carlos Alcaraz voiced his frustrations following a tough second-round loss to Cameron Norrie. After receiving a bye in the first round, the Spaniard committed 54 errors in his two-set defeat. Speaking with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz complained about the surface, saying, “This is clay, it’s worse than in Monte Carlo.” Despite this setback, Alcaraz is set to compete at the ATP Finals scheduled from November 9 to 16, 2025.
Zverev also opened up about his dwindling self-confidence after an early exit at the Shanghai Masters. He suffered an opening-round loss at Wimbledon, marking his earliest departure from the tournament since 2019. At the US Open, he was eliminated in the third round and later reached the quarterfinals at the China Open but could not replicate this at Shanghai, losing to Arthur Rinderknech in the Round of 32.
Reflecting on his season, the 28-year-old admitted struggling with confidence: “I simply have no self-confidence, no belief in my shots. My year has been terrible; I’m just playing terrible tennis all around. It’s been a tough year physically.”
As the season progresses, fans will be keen to see how Zverev adapts to the challenging conditions and works to regain his confidence on court.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-after-carlos-alcaraz-s-criticism-paris-masters-court-conditions-alexander-zverev-joins-disapproval-strange-surface-choice
