Are tennis courts favouring Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner? Roger Federer thinks it does

Dubai: Tennis great Roger Federer believes today’s courts — across hard, clay, and even grass — have become too uniform and slow, which benefits baseline players such as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

“All the courts feel the same now,” Federer said during the Laver Cup, where he serves as a supervisor. “I feel like returns are so much easier these days. Maybe conditions are slower, or maybe players are just better at it. Back then, making returns was tough — that’s why I often sliced, just to mix things up.”

Federer argued that tournament directors should ensure greater variety in surfaces, “We need not only fast courts but also extremes — let Alcaraz or Sinner adapt to lightning-fast courts, then play them again on super slow ones. That’s what makes tennis interesting.”

The 20-time Grand Slam champion also supported calls to adjust surfaces to encourage different playing styles. “Yes, definitely. I was talking about this with Reilly Opelka this morning. It can’t be that indoors, against a big serve like his, Casper Ruud can just step back and return comfortably. Even the best serves in the game are coming back too easily, which shouldn’t happen.”

He pointed out that in the past, surfaces forced players into different approaches. “Back then, only 12 tournaments counted for rankings. Everyone played their favourite surface, and when attackers met retrievers, those matches were incredible. Now, players look too similar because the ball and court speeds are standardised. You can win Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open playing the same style.”

According to Federer, tournament organisers deliberately slow down courts because it gives rising stars like Sinner and Alcaraz a safer path. “I understand why directors prefer it,” he said. “On slower courts, weaker players need to hit extraordinary shots to upset Sinner. On faster courts, they might only need a few big points. Slower conditions reduce that risk.”