Jannik Sinner Details “Slippery” Courts at 2025 Rolex Paris Masters

Jannik Sinner kicks off his campaign at the 2025 Rolex Paris Masters today. Sinner’s path to another ATP 1000 title got a little easier when top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz lost in his first match yesterday.

Throughout the match, Alcaraz complained about the surface at the indoor hard court tournament. The Spaniard compared it to the clay courts of Monte Carlo. Data shows the courts are much slower than last year.

While Sinner has not yet played a match on the courts, he has already spotted a troubling trend. The Italian spoke on the inconsistent feel of the court yesterday during his pre-tournament press conference.

“A Bit Slippery”

Jannik Sinner detailed the “slippery” courts in Paris. / IMAGO / PRESSE SPORTS

“For me, it isn’t slow or fast. Moving around these courts is not easy; sometimes it’s a bit slippery, sometimes less. It is an area where I have always found difficult to play. But more than anything, you need to gain as much confidence as possible while playing on these courts, so we’ll see,” said Sinner.

He continued, “However, after the first match, I can give you better feedback. Yesterday I played for half an hour, today one and a half, so my feedback is quite limited, so I can tell you more after the first match.”

Despite having virtually no rest after winning the Vienna Open, Sinner assured the media that he felt good physically. He also said it was “impossible” for him to catch Alcaraz as the year-end ATP World No. 1.

“Increasingly Slick”

The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters court has been described as slick and slippery. / IMAGO / ABACAPRESS

Paris Masters director Cedric Pioline was asked about the court conditions during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday.

“We wanted to reduce the speed of the court. We were told that last year’s court was too fast. There is never truly a consensus. All players do not share the same opinion. But we tried to find the broadest possible consensus with the largest number of players,” said Pioline.

He added, “We also have a resin surface that becomes increasingly slick as we play on it. The difference between the start of the tournament and the days that follow is obvious.”

The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters is held in a new venue. / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Sinner faces Zizou Bergs in the Round of 32 later today. Currently, Sinner is the World No. 2 with a record of 48-6 with four singles titles. Even if Sinner has given up on catching Alcaraz this year, he still has a small chance of overcoming the odds.

The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters runs through November 2. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated’s Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.