Recent reports surrounding the court speed of the 2025 Paris Masters suggest that it will be far slower than the last few editions of the tournament. This news has since had a hostile reception in the tennis community on social media, with a few noting that the playing conditions will suit Carlos Alcaraz the most.
Court Pace Index (CPI) is an indicator in pro tennis for the playing speed of the courts at a tournament. Calculated using a formula consisting of the coefficient of friction (i.e., resistance offered by the court to the ball) and the coefficient of restitution (i.e., bounciness of the surface), CPI ratings generally vary between Slow (<35), Medium-slow (30-34.9), Medium (35-39.9), Medium-fast (40-44.9), and Fast (>45).
Carlos Alcaraz Will Be Favored by Slow Court Speed Paris Masters According to Fans
Following the homogenization of tennis surfaces after 2000, most hard courts now fall within the slow to medium speed range. And while the Paris Masters — one of the only two major indoor hardcourt tournaments on the ATP Tour — used to be relatively faster in the last decade, its CPI has since fallen to as low as 35.1, according to the latest data.
👇🇫🇷 As many have noticed, there’s been a BIG drop in the CPI at this year’s Paris Masters – making for slower overall conditions pic.twitter.com/i5vX5zdZze
— Olly Tennis 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) October 28, 2025
Notably, last year’s Paris Masters was much faster at 46.6, which is more than 10 points higher than the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris-Bercy this year. Many fans on X have since taken umbrage at the above discrepancy.
One even suggested that the change was tailored to suit Carlos Alcaraz, who admitted to liking the slower playing conditions at the tournament earlier this week. “Indoor HC at 35. Just give it to Carlos at this point,” one fan noted.
Indoor HC at 35. Just give it to Carlos at this point
— Hello there (@hehehaha7394) October 28, 2025
A few others also rued the decrease in the court speed at the Paris Masters.
“I thought it was around 40 but it is significantly slower. 😳,” one fan wrote in shock.
I thought it was around 40 but it is significantly slower. 😳
— Zion John Z. Rosal (@zjrosal) October 28, 2025
The fact that several hardcourts, including the ones employed at historically faster tournaments like the Shanghai Masters, have been slowed down was also brought by another fan.
“Can they stop making courts slow this way?????” the fan claimed.
can they stop making courts slow this way????? https://t.co/tDRfWMTXRb
— aniuska (@anallinaresg) October 28, 2025
One fan, meanwhile, even jokingly insisted that Roger Federer was correct in his insinuation that several tournament directors have slowed down the speed of their courts to make Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner less prone to upset.
“King Roger Federer was always half right,” the fan wrote on X.
king roger federer was always half right https://t.co/Vf00e7y5tH
— just ray (@demonicserve) October 28, 2025
As things currently stand, four of the six ATP Masters 1000 tournaments played on hardcourts have a CPI within the Slow to Medium range (Indian Wells – 31.0, Miami – 39.9, Shanghai – 32.8, Paris – 35.1).
Carlos Alcaraz Happy With ‘Different’ Court Speed at This Year’s Paris Masters
Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t make a dent in the field at last year’s Paris Masters, losing 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 to eventual runner-up Ugo Humbert in the third round. The World No. 1 has since spoken positively about the change in the court speed in Paris-Bercy, claiming that “real tennis” is played on slower courts.
“This year is completely different compared to last year. It’s slower. If the court is slower, you can see real tennis being played; it’s not just a matter of quality of serve. We can develop our rallies, we can have longer exchanges. I love playing here, even if I didn’t get the best results,” Alcaraz told the media in Paris this week.
Having never gone past the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, Alcaraz will be eager to record his career-best result at the final Masters-level event of the year. He will open his campaign against Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie later on Tuesday, October 28.