"Not even close": ATP Tournament Director dismisses claims of Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev of court tampering

ATP Tournament director Bob Moran has dismissed claims made by former world number one Roger Federer and current world number three Germany’s Alexander Zverev about the tournament director's tampering with the speed of the surfaces to have a final between Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

The speed of the court remains a major talking point during the Shanghai Masters. The controversy started when legendary tennis star and 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer accused the tournament directors of tempering the courts to ensure that the final would be between the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz, who are currently the two best players in men’s tennis and have shared the last eight Grand Slams since the start of 2024.

“I understand the tournament directors who, based on their instructions, try to make the courts slower,” said Federer before the start of the Shanghai Masters. “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.”

Federer, later in the same interview, tried to reduce the impact of his comment by admitting that the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner is ‘extraordinary’ for tennis. “I think it's [Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry] extraordinary for tennis,” said Federer. “In my opinion, we all knew they were very good, but we probably didn't expect them to dominate like this from the start. I have to admit, it's really impressive: but also fantastic for the game."

Later, Germany’s Zverev, who featured in the Shanghai Masters, said something similar to what Federer said earlier. Zverev made those controversial remarks during the ongoing Shanghai Masters after beating France’s Valentin Royer in straight sets with a score of 6-4, 6-4. He said after the match that the court speeds are the same because tournament directors want a particular outcome. He also calls for more variety on the playing surfaces.

"I hate that court speeds are the same in all tournaments," said Zverev. "I know that the directors of all major events are moving in that direction because they want Jannik and Carlos to perform well and potentially reach the final. I've been on tour for 12 years now and we always had different surfaces. Tennis needs a little bit of variety and I think we're lacking that right now."

Sinner, who was talking part in the competition, was later asked about those comments and he was clearly shocked to know that an active played said something like that. “Wow, I don't know what to say on that one, to be honest," said Sinner. “We [Sinner and Alcaraz] — or at least I — don't make the courts.”

Later, the ex-coach of the former world number one Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs, slammed Zverev for making those comments. The 54-year-old, in one of the episodes of her own podcast, The Rennae Stubbs Podcast, highlighted that Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominance is men’s tennis is so evident because they keep winning on every surface.

"Is Zverev joking?" said Stubbs. "If he thinks they are doing it to help Carlos and Jannik, here is a good example ... the Australian Open this year was played on medium. Jannik wins it, Zverev was smoked. Wimbledon rolls around, it is grass. Guess who wins it? Jannik Sinner. The French Open rolls around, the same as it has been for the last hundred years, Carlos wins it match point against Sinner in the final. The US Open that is notoriously medium to fast, who wins it? Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev, where were you? Like dude, these guys win on every surface." 

Now, ATP Tournament Director Moran has come out and dismissed the claims made by Federer and Zverev. Moran has been quoted in a report where he categorically denied any interference with the preparation of the playing surface to benefit one or two players. Moran stated that the primary focus of the ATP as an institution is to bring ‘consistency’ through the swing.

“Trying to create something that benefits certain players never goes through our head – not even close. We were fast, and we had Sinner and Alcaraz. For the three years I’ve been doing this in Cincinnati, the players have come back to me that they feel fast,” said Moran. “What we were really striving for this year was consistency throughout the swing. When they hit the States, in Washington, DC, through to the US Open. We all decided that we wanted to be in that medium-fast to fast range. Our goal – consistent speeds, consistent ball – and that’s what we are being told by the players they want,” he added.