The Laver Cup ended last month on September 19 and 20, but its co-founder sparked a different kind of buzz. When Roger Federer joined Andy Roddick on the Served podcast, he said uniform court and ball speeds make matches too predictable, favoring stars like Alcaraz and Sinner. “Obviously, I understand why they do it. It acts as a safety net for the weaker player – he has to hit amazing shots to beat Sinner. On fast courts, he might get past with just a few well-timed hits.” That comment set off a heated debate in the tennis world. Now, Patrick Mouratoglou’s take might change how we see it.

On an Instagram reel, the famed coach, who led Serena Williams to 10 Grand Slams over 10 years, shared Federer’s clip and didn’t hold back. “What Roger says makes sense, but it’s not new,” he said. “When Roger was playing, it was already the case! In 2002, Wimbledon decided to slow down the surface a lot. It’s a choice made by all tennis governing bodies. Wimbledon was probably the fastest surface historically, and now it is sometimes slower than Roland Garros.” Could he be right?

Mouratoglou understands Roger Federer’s curiosity about seeing today’s stars on faster courts. But he points out that Federer’s era was similar, where he won 20 slams, including eight Wimbledon and five US Open titles. But it is true that tennis courts have generally slowed down over time. The court speeds took a nosedive, bottoming out between 2007 and 2014. But since then, speeds have crept up again. Now, nearly 70% of men’s points wrap up in under four shots. With the punishing power players bring today, even slower courts don’t stretch rallies much longer.

As Mouratoglou says, “We know that what we regret is that it killed serve-and-volley players, but at the same time, it was important because you had guys serving too many aces. The game was getting boring on some surfaces. There are always both sides of the coin.”  

In 2025, Carlos Alcaraz boasts an 87% win rate. He blends aggression with precision. Jannik Sinner keeps pace with an 80% win rate and adapts across surfaces. Compared to Federer and Nadal, who ruled faster courts, the slower modern pace pushes players to rely on all-around skills.

Which is what Mouratoglou finds the idea of Alcaraz and Sinner on faster courts fascinating. Yet, he sees a catch: “If we had kept the very fast surfaces, the serve of both Alcaraz and Sinner would be much more efficient. But what about other big servers like Opelka or Zverev? It would be a completely different game, and I think it would be really boring.” Which could be true as tennis lives on balance and excitement.

On the other hand, players like Alexander Zverev have weighed in too. The World No.3 agrees with Roger Federer, saying, “I know that the tournament directors are going towards that direction because obviously they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament.” However, the Italian also spoke up, saying he and Carlos have no control over court speeds. Additionally, Jannik also addressed the hard court debate from his perspective.

Sinner speaks his mind on court speeds after Roger Federer stirred the pot

During the China Open, which the Italian later lifted, Jannik Sinner was asked before play began about Federer’s comments on court speed. Did he agree with the Swiss Maestro? The World No. 2 stayed calm and thoughtful. “The hard courts, they are at times very similar. At times, there are some small changes, a couple of changes. One tournament that comes up a bit is Indian Wells because the ball bounces very high. It’s a bit different how the ball reacts with the court,” he explained with his usual composure.

“But yeah, if not, we have more or less similar game situations on the court. This is how it has been for a long time, like this. I don’t know if there is going to be a change or not. I’m just a player who tries to adapt myself in the best possible way,” he added, sounding steady and sure. “I feel like I’m doing a good job in this. But let’s see what the future can give us in every tournament.”

That set off some curiosity online. An X user soon posted a sharp analysis digging into Roger Federer’s point about surface speeds. The post noted that the Laver Cup court, where Federer has influence, plays surprisingly slow compared to most ATP events. But the data from official tournaments spoke loud and clear:

Monte Carlo’s adjusted ace rate came in at just 5.3%, while Cincinnati’s soared to 12.3%. Rallies lasted longer too, averaging 4.75 shots in Monte Carlo against a brisk 3.58 in Cincinnati. Even the Court Pace Index drew a bold line: 29 for Monte Carlo, 43 for Cincinnati. And that story only deepens on grass and clay. Wimbledon’s 10-year adjusted ace rate stands near 12%, while Roland Garros sits around 6%. The reason? Each surface treats spin in its own way, and spin now rules modern tennis.

Just look at Sinner and Alcaraz. Their mix of serve, forehand or backhand +1, and return is lethal enough to attack right from the start. So, now with Patrick Mouratoglou’s insight in the mix, what do you think about this? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this!