‘Roger Federer was helped by tournaments making courts very fast’ – Alexander Zverev’s revelation
Alexander Zverev has claimed hard courts at some tournaments were made “very, very fast” to help Roger Federer when the tennis legend was on the tour.
The world No 4 recalled his experience of competing at the same time as Federer and explained that events ensured courts played quickly as they liked the Swiss “to go deep.”
Federer achieved huge success on all surfaces, but he was particularly renowned for his prowess on fast courts, which suited his attacking brand of tennis.
The former world No 1 won a record 19 titles on grass, which, in general, is the quickest court surface. A record eight of these grass-court triumphs came at Wimbledon.
Federer also hit great heights at hard-court tournaments that featured some of the quickest courts during his career, like the Cincinnati Open and the ATP Finals. He secured a record seven Cincinnati crowns, as well as six ATP Finals titles.
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In an interview with Tennis Channel during the 2024 Cincinnati Masters, Zverev made an interesting revelation when asked if he feels more comfortable on a faster court.
Yeah, I mean I’m playing [with] an old school racket still, I’m playing [with] quite a heavy tennis racket still,” explained the German.
“I mean, some of the young guys don’t do that anymore so they swing a lot faster than me. But when the ball comes with pace, I think a heavier racket helps you, so that’s maybe part of the reason. Some obviously racket things there.
“I mean look, I’m still from the generation from ten years ago, or from five, six years ago, when we had some very fast hard courts, especially when Roger was still around. And obviously, tournaments liked him to go deep, so they were making some very, very fast courts.
“So I’m used to it a little bit maybe more than some of the younger generation, but I mean, still some adjustments to be made.”
Zverev is the No 4 seed at the 2024 US Open, where he is in the same half of the draw as defending champion Novak Djokovic.
The 27-year-old could face 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic, who is the second seed, in the semi-finals. If Zverev reaches the final, he could take on either Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz.
