20-time Major Champion, Roger Federer, has called out tournament directors for deliberately slowing down courts and using heavier balls in a bid to boost the chances of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz meeting in the finals.
Speaking on Served, Andy Roddick’s podcast, the Swiss legend raised a debate that goes to the heart of tennis today: how much influence organisers have over the conditions, and whether they are shaping the sport to fit its new stars.
“They Want Sinner and Alcaraz in the Final”
Federer explained that surface speed plays a pivotal role in determining outcomes. A faster court, he argued, gives aggressive players the chance to hit just a few big shots at crucial moments and score an upset. By contrast, a slower surface forces challengers to sustain extraordinary shot-making over long rallies, something few can manage against Sinner or Alcaraz.
“I understand the tournament directors who, based on their instructions, try to make the courts slower,” Federer said. “This benefits those who need to hit extraordinary winners to beat Sinner, because if the court is fast, they might only need a couple of well-timed shots to win. Tournament directors think: ‘I’d rather have Sinner and Alcaraz in the final, you know?’ In a way, it works for tennis.”
The Swiss icon also reflected on how conditions have shifted since his own era. “In my day, only 12 tournaments really mattered, so everyone played on their favorite surface, and sometimes they didn’t meet: attacker versus counterattack. Now everyone plays similarly, because directors have made the speed of the balls and courts nearly the same every week.”
A Rivalry Tennis Can’t Ignore
Federer’s remarks weren’t a dismissal of the Alcaraz–Sinner rivalry. On the contrary, he praised it as one of the most exciting storylines in modern tennis, calling their level “extraordinary for the game.” He admitted that while everyone expected both to be good, few anticipated the sheer dominance they have displayed so early in their careers. “We didn’t expect this kind of dominance right out of the gates. It’s really impressive, I must admit,” Federer told Tennis Channel.
The results speak for themselves. Just as in 2024, Sinner and Alcaraz split all four Grand Slam titles in 2025, with the Italian defending his Australian Open crown and the Spaniard repeating at Roland Garros. At Wimbledon and the US Open, they swapped trophies, and their rivalry extended to Masters 1000 finals in Rome and Cincinnati. Alcaraz won four of their five encounters this year, reclaiming the world #1 spot after the US Open.
Despite raising concerns about homogenized playing conditions, Federer emphasized that their duel is vital in carrying tennis forward. With both players still in their early 20s, the sport appears set for a new golden age—one that Federer himself admits recalls the Big Three era he helped define.
Main photo credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
