Follow us on Google Discover Alexander Zverev could be one of the players most impacted by the change the Paris Masters have announced for this year’s tournament.
Zverev won the Paris Masters for the first time last year after beating home favourite Ugo Humbert in the final.
The world number three has not reached a single ATP 1000 final since then, with his most recent coming at the Shanghai Masters, with Zverev being beaten by Arthur Rinderknech.
Zverev will probably not be feeling too happy about his recent form, and the change that the Paris Masters have announced is unlikely to cheer him up.
Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesThe Paris Masters confirm that the courts will be slower this year
The Paris Masters are the final ATP 1000 tournament of the 2025 season, and this year have relocated to a different venue after 38 years at the Bercy Arena.
Moving to the La Défense Arena is not the only significant change the tournament has made this year, as the Paris Masters tournament director has explained what else could be different.
Two-time Grand Slam finalist Cedric Pioline is the Paris Masters tournament director, and in an interview with AFP he suggested that the courts may also be slower than previous years.
“We will have perfect uniformity on all four courts,” said Pioline. “The goal is to facilitate the players’ transition towards the end of the season.”
The courts were noticeably quick at the Paris Masters, and were actually the quickest event on the ATP Tour for four years.
As did many other players, Zverev commented on the speed of the Paris Masters courts last year, before going on to win the title.
Why would Alexander Zverev be unhappy about the Paris Masters slowing down the courts?
It is currently unclear as to how much slower the courts will be at the indoor hard court event in Paris this year, but recent comments from Zverev suggest that he will not be happy about the changes.
Not only did Zverev appear to enjoy the conditions at the Paris Masters in 2024, but he has also recently made complaints after claiming tournament directors are trying to give Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner preferential treatment.
“I hate when it’s the same,” Zverev said in Shanghai “I think the tournament directors are going towards that direction because they want Jannik and Carlos to do well at every tournament, and that’s what they prefer.”
Zverev received some backlash for these comments, but he is not the only player to have made claims on this issue.
Right after his match, we asked Jannik Sinner for his thoughts on Zverev’s claim that tournament directors are “helping” him and Alcaraz by slowing down the courts. Here’s his first reaction (for BB Tennis) pic.twitter.com/PYNxdgdhQl
— Lina Shokh (@LinaShokh) October 4, 2025
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At the Laver Cup last month, Roger Federer made a similar comment about Alcaraz and Sinner, suggesting that this is a growing issue among both current and former players.
Although there have been rumours about both players withdrawing from the event, both Alcaraz and Sinner remain on the entry list for the Paris Masters, that gets underway on Monday, October 27.