Sinner Rejects Zverev's Court Bias Claims at Shanghai Masters; Both Players Suffer Early Exits

Jannik Sinner has strongly dismissed Alexander Zverev’s claims of tournament bias at the 2025 Shanghai Masters, insisting his focus is solely on playing tennis rather than worrying about court conditions. The controversy erupted after Zverev, ranked third in the world, accused tournament officials of adjusting court speeds to favour top-ranked players Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Speaking after his straight-sets win over Valentin Royer, Zverev said, “I know the tournament directors are going towards that direction because obviously they want Jannik and Carlos to do well at every tournament, and that's what they prefer.” The German also criticized the increasing standardization of court surfaces, arguing it reduces variety in the sport. “You couldn’t play the same tennis the same way on a grass court, hard court, or clay court. Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I'm not a fan of it, I think tennis needs game styles… a little bit of variety, and I think we're lacking that right now,” he added. Sinner, World No. 2, responded calmly when asked about Zverev’s remarks, downplaying any notion of deliberate advantage. “Wow, I don’t know what to say on that one, to be honest," Sinner said with a small laugh. “We (Sinner and Alcaraz) — or at least I — don’t make the courts. I just play tennis and try to play as good as I can."
He stressed his approach, emphasizing adaptability over blame. “Me and Carlos, we don't make the courts, it's not our decision. We try to adapt ourselves in every situation, I feel like still every week is a bit different,” he told reporters. “I've played some great tennis even when there's faster courts.” The debate over court conditions has gained wider attention following similar comments by tennis legend Roger Federer, who stressed the importance of maintaining variety across surfaces to keep the sport competitive. By steering clear of controversy and focusing on his own performance, Sinner signaled that he will continue to let his tennis speak for itself, leaving questions of bias to others.On Sunday, Sinner retired hurt against Tallon Griekspoor, while Zverev also crashed out of the competition on Monday against Arthur Rinderknech in a shock defeat.