Jannik Sinner pulled no punches when responding to accusations made by Alexander Zverev at the Shanghai Masters. Sinner, fresh from his first title win since Wimbledon, cruised through to the last-32 in Shanghai with a comfortable straight-sets win over Daniel Altmaier on Saturday.
It comes after a dominant display at the China Open, with the Italian dropping just two sets across his five wins en route to the title. Sinner didn’t have to compete with his closest rival for the win, given Carlos Alcaraz was competing in the Japan Open instead.
However, upon the pair’s return to the same competition, world No.3 Zverev launched a scathing attack on tournament organisers for favouritism towards the two juggernauts of the men’s game. When quizzed on his opponent’s comments, Sinner reacted by saying: “You know, me and Carlos, we don’t make the courts. It’s not our decision. We try to adapt ourself in every situation. I feel like still every week is a bit different.
“I’ve played some great tennis even when it was faster courts. But I’m not making the courts, you know, so I just try to adapt and play my best tennis I can, and that’s it.”
Zverev’s criticisms had focused around the speed of the courts, with the German suggesting they’d been made slower to favour the two best players in the world. After his win over Valentin Royer, Zverev said: “I hate when it’s the same, to be honest.
“I think the tournament directors are going towards that direction because, obviously, they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament and that’s what they prefer. Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I don’t like it, I’m not a fan of it. I think tennis needs different game styles, tennis needs a little bit of variety and I think we’re lacking that right now.”
Regardless, Sinner looked good in his first match, with a deep run in Shanghai expected to follow. On his current form, he said: “First match is never easy, especially when you don’t have a lot of time to adjust.
“[Altmaier] is a very tough player, very talented… I just tried to stay mentally in a good point. When I broke him twice very early in the set it gave me the confidence to serve the match out, so I’m very happy.”
His pursuit of the Masters title will continue on Sunday when he comes up against Tallon Griekspoor.