Jannik Sinner gives first reaction after Roger Federer's controversial comments about Carlos Alcaraz & him getting favored by ATP

Jannik Sinner recently shared his thoughts on Roger Federer's startling take on ATP Tour tournament directors making court speeds similar across all surfaces to ensure finals featuring the Italian against Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner and Alcaraz's rivalry is arguably the most high-profile in contemporary men's tennis, and they have already produced some memorable clashes, including this year's epic French Open final.

Speaking on a special 2025 Laver Cup edition of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, former No. 1 and 20-time Major champion Roger Federer bemoaned the lack of variety between surfaces these days in terms of court speed. According to the Swiss, tournament directors are deliberately slowing down court speeds to give Sinner and Alcaraz the best chance of facing each other in finals.

The 44-year-old controversially said:

"Obviously, I understand the safety net that the tournament directors see in making the surface slower. It's for the weaker player. He has to hit extra amazing shots to beat Sinner, whereas if it's quick, he can only maybe blast a few and at the right time and he gets past. So that's what the tournament directors are like, "I kind of like Sinner-Alcaraz in the finals, you know? It kind of works for the game.""

At a pre-tournament press conference ahead of his campaign at the 2025 China Open, World No. 2 Jannik Sinner was asked about what he thinks of Roger Federer's bold take. The Italian, without being blatantly dismissive of the Swiss' opinion, said:

"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. 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."

The four-time Slam winner went on to briefly talk about how he personally approaches different tournaments, irrespective of the surfaces they are played on and the court speeds.

"I’m just a player who tries to adapt myself in the best possible way. I feel like I’m doing a good job in this. But let’s see what the future can give us in every tournament," he added.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to begin Asian swing at different tournaments

Jannik Sinner (left) and Carlos Alcaraz (right) pose with the men's singles runner-up and winner's trophies respectively at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

While Jannik Sinner is set to kick off his 2025 Asian swing at the China Open, reigning World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is slated to play at the Japan Open for the first time in his career. Both tournaments will take place during the same week, meaning the Italian and Spaniard will avoid meeting each other, at least for the time being.

Sinner and Alcaraz played in Beijing last year and clashed in a memorable final, which the Spaniard won in three sets. Both players are in the draw for this year's Shanghai Masters, where the Italian is the defending champion, having beaten Novak Djokovic in the 2024 final, which Roger Federer attended.

Carlos Alcaraz leads the head-to-head against Jannik Sinner 10-5, and has defeated the Italian on seven out of the last eight occasions they faced each other.