Golden-24
Rookie
This is the consensus, everyone (players and fans) agree. Every historically fastest hard courts have never been slower in 2024-2025.
Most recent examples are Cincinnati, Beijing and Shanghaï.
Cincinnati was still one of the fastest Masters in 2021-2023. It was already slower last year. This year with the new courts and colors, everyone complained about the slowness. Cincinnati was unrecognizable.
Beijing was one of the fastest ATP500 in the 2010s. This year an article stated it's the 3rd slowest hard court tournament.
And now Shanghaï... used to be a very fast Masters too. Was still decent in 2023 when Hurkacz won the title. Now? Multiple players have said in press conferences, it's the slowest courts they've ever seen...
Indian-Wells was always a slow Masters but it's even slower in recent years. It looks more like glue than hard courts.
Grass courts started slowing down in Wimbledon in the 2000s but the observation is the same now, it gets slower and slower each year.
US Open courts were also very slow this year, many players have complained about it.
I bet the new Paris Masters (in Nanterre) will have the same conclusion. It'll be unwatchable compared to Bercy.
The surfaces have never been slower, too many players have talked about it to deny the accusation...
Who are the imbeciles who decide this? The tournaments organizers? The ATP? Certainly not the fans or the players...
Why are they purposely widening the gap between Sinner/Alcaraz and the other players?
If anyone is benefitting from it, it's Sinner and Alcaraz, no one else.
Slower courts completely disadvantage big servers, big hitters who like to dictate rallies and hit a lot of winners.
Had they slowed down the courts 20 years earlier, I bet Nadal would've won 40 Grand Slams. If Shanghaï and Cincinnati and other HC Masters all played like clay, god knows many Masters he'd total...
I think everyone has figured out the intentions. They want the most Sinner/Alcaraz finals. They want them to win all the Slams and Masters and they know there will be less upsets on slower courts. No chance for other players to beat them on such slow courts, even if they're playing fire.
Federer adressed it at the Laver Cup. He said pretty much the same.
It's absolutely disgusting... No wonder why more and more fans of the Big-3 era are losing interest now. Attendance in tournaments are still high but stadiums are often empty... TV ratings are getting worse by the day. Forum/boards and social medias get calmer and calmer. If you're not a fan of the Sinner/Alcaraz rivalry, there is just nothing else to hang on to. Other players all suck. 12 days Masters and surfaces slowing down are killing the game.
Most recent examples are Cincinnati, Beijing and Shanghaï.
Cincinnati was still one of the fastest Masters in 2021-2023. It was already slower last year. This year with the new courts and colors, everyone complained about the slowness. Cincinnati was unrecognizable.
Beijing was one of the fastest ATP500 in the 2010s. This year an article stated it's the 3rd slowest hard court tournament.
And now Shanghaï... used to be a very fast Masters too. Was still decent in 2023 when Hurkacz won the title. Now? Multiple players have said in press conferences, it's the slowest courts they've ever seen...
Indian-Wells was always a slow Masters but it's even slower in recent years. It looks more like glue than hard courts.
Grass courts started slowing down in Wimbledon in the 2000s but the observation is the same now, it gets slower and slower each year.
US Open courts were also very slow this year, many players have complained about it.
I bet the new Paris Masters (in Nanterre) will have the same conclusion. It'll be unwatchable compared to Bercy.
The surfaces have never been slower, too many players have talked about it to deny the accusation...
Who are the imbeciles who decide this? The tournaments organizers? The ATP? Certainly not the fans or the players...
Why are they purposely widening the gap between Sinner/Alcaraz and the other players?
If anyone is benefitting from it, it's Sinner and Alcaraz, no one else.
Slower courts completely disadvantage big servers, big hitters who like to dictate rallies and hit a lot of winners.
Had they slowed down the courts 20 years earlier, I bet Nadal would've won 40 Grand Slams. If Shanghaï and Cincinnati and other HC Masters all played like clay, god knows many Masters he'd total...
I think everyone has figured out the intentions. They want the most Sinner/Alcaraz finals. They want them to win all the Slams and Masters and they know there will be less upsets on slower courts. No chance for other players to beat them on such slow courts, even if they're playing fire.
Federer adressed it at the Laver Cup. He said pretty much the same.
It's absolutely disgusting... No wonder why more and more fans of the Big-3 era are losing interest now. Attendance in tournaments are still high but stadiums are often empty... TV ratings are getting worse by the day. Forum/boards and social medias get calmer and calmer. If you're not a fan of the Sinner/Alcaraz rivalry, there is just nothing else to hang on to. Other players all suck. 12 days Masters and surfaces slowing down are killing the game.
