Roger Federer’s suggestion that his fellow rivals at the ATP Finals are making ‘minor adjustments’ to their game to accommodate the speed of the court has generated a mixed response.
Federer, who has won the season-ending championships six times during his career, said with confidence that the court at The O2 Arena was playing slower than previous tournaments. He made the comment following his shock loss to Kei Nishikori on Sunday. A lackluster performance that saw him produce 34 unforced errors as he won only 29% of return points throughout the match.
“I think it plays different or it’s definitely slower than I think the last three tournaments that I’ve played. So I think everybody’s making a minor adjustment, you know. So am I.” Said Federer.
It is tough to argue against the world No.3 given his experience in the tournament. He has won a record 55 matches and made 16 appearances at the ATP Finals. Overall he has featured in 10 finals at the tournament so far in his career. Nevertheless, some do doubt the assessment of the court speed made by Federer.
“I think this kind of court is, when you get a few matches on it and when it gets used, becomes a bit quicker. I think it’s just normal.” Said Marin Cilic, who is making his fourth appearance at The o2.
“I don’t think it (the court) is much different from last year, it is more or less the same. It can vary from the air conditioning inside the stadium. Generally, it plays quite the same.” He added.
Alexander Zverev kicked-off his campaign on Monday with a victory over Cilic. Like his Croatian rival, he also believes the court is quick. Hitting a series of aces that exceeded the 140 mph mark. Weighing in on the debate over court speed, he describes the surface as ‘weird.’ The court is made up of acrylic placed on top of wood.
“The court is very weird.” Said Zverev. “When you hit it flat and hard like Cilic does, the court is very fast. When you hit it with more topspin, the court takes it away and it bounces up. It’s more different than other tournaments.”
“For me, it is pretty quick.” He added.
Federer will return to action on Tuesday when he takes on Dominic Thiem in what is a crucial match in the round-robin event. Leading up to the clash, he has canceled a scheduled practice session at The Queen’s Club with no official word given about the reason.
The 37-year-old has only ever failed to the semifinal stage of the ATP Finals once before.
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