Alexander Zverev faces potential fresh complaint as Paris Masters director confirms plans
Alexander Zverev’s complaints about the tennis balls used on the ATP Tour may crop up again at the Paris Masters.
The new world No 1 lost in three sets to Alex De Minaur in the semi-final of the Vienna Open on Saturday as his record against the top 10 fell to 3-9.
When the 29-year-old was a break down in the first set, Zverev took umbrage with the Dunlop tennis balls the ATP 500 event was using.
In one instance, he asked the chair umpire, “Do you think it’s normal to play with these balls in a tennis tournament?”
This followed on from the German being among a contingent of players to openly criticise the Wilson balls and the conditions in Montreal this year.
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In the wake of his defeat to De Minaur, he said via Bild, “I started the tiebreak relatively poorly, made a few unforced errors, and then he didn’t play his way. That’s just how it goes sometimes.
“I thought the match was okay, but it’s been difficult for me to play here this year. The balls and the court are incredibly slow. De Minaur handles that better, and he was also better than me today.”
Ahead of the Paris Masters, tournament director Cedric Pioline issued some news that may not go down too well with the French Open and US Open champion.
The Frenchman revealed that the Masters 1000 competition will also use Dunlop balls this week, as the ATP Tour tries to implement a level of consistency over a sustained period.
He said at the weekend, “It’s a change imposed by the ATP, so that there is consistency across the entire autumn swing, from Shanghai to Turin.
“It’s good for the players’ comfort. I think it’s a good development, and the ATP has put in place a system whereby no event will be financially penalised by this imposed ball.”
Pioline has said that the court speeds will be quicker this year, after complaints were made about the slow conditions in 2025, when Zverev lost in the semi-finals.
Whether the speedier conditions will be enough to quieten Zverev’s dislike of the Dunlop balls remains to be seen. The 6ft 6in player begins his campaign with a tricky second-round match against the in-form Lorenzo Musetti, who owns a 3-2 head-to-head record in this matchup.
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