 "World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz speaks to reporters ahead of the 2025 Paris Masters in Paris, France. Image credit: X/@RolexPMasters")
Despite being at the top of the tennis world alongside Jannik Sinner, six-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t have the best of records when it comes to the Paris Masters, where the Spaniard had reached the quarter-finals three years ago and hasn’t gone past the third round since.
Things, however, could be different for the 22-year-old this year with the venue for the final Masters event of the season being moved from the Bercy Arena to the Paris La Défense Arena. The world No 1 was among the first players to arrive for the prestigious event that gets underway on Monday, 27 October and concludes on Sunday, and had the opportunity to test the speed of the courts.
New Paris Masters venue gets thumbs up from Alcaraz
And on the eve of the opening day of the event, Alcaraz expressed satisfaction with the conditions and is hopeful of improving his Paris Masters record this year.
“This year is totally different than last year. I think it is a huge difference, which I like it,” a smiling Alcaraz told reporters on the eve of the $7.12 million event in the French capital.
“You know, the speed of the court, yeah, it’s much slower than last year, but I think it is a really good speed that we can see tennis, not only serve or it’s not only serve plus one
“So you can see rallies, you can see points, you can see tennis. So I think it’s great. Obviously I’ve said many times that I like, you know, slower courts, not that fast,” he added.
Alcaraz, who had won the Masters titles in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati earlier this year, is confident of producing a better performance in Paris this year compared to previous years.
“Obviously this tournament is not my best one in terms of results, but I love playing here. The time of the year, you know, it’s been long with the indoor. I’m not really used to playing indoors, but year after year, I think I’m getting more used to it.
“So we will see this year. Hopefully go farther than previous years,” he added.
Organisers favouring Alcaraz once again?
The change in venue as well as the slower speeds at the Paris La Défense Arena might lead to further discussions on tournament organisers favouring Alcaraz and Sinner by deliberately producing slower courts to suit their playing style.
Alcaraz and Sinner have been dominating men’s tennis for the last two years, facing each other in the final of the last three Grand Slams with each of the last eight Majors being won by one of these two young stars. That might explain why organisers are keen on cashing in on the ‘Sincaraz’ rivalry and hope the two go the distance in major events, potentially facing each other in the final.
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The legendary Roger Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion had first made the observation last month after Alcaraz defeated Sinner in the US Open final , and his statement has been supported by Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who’s the best men’s player in the world after the two standout stars.