Bublik in Paris : “The slowest indoor court I’ve seen in my life”
“I think the slowest indoor hard court I played in my life for sure, by far”, Bublik said at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Alexander Bublik, 2025 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Alexander Bublik offered a stinging assessment of the court speed at the Rolex Paris Masters‘ new venue, the Paris La Défense Arena, after his win against Alexei Popyrin on Monday. Following his opening-round match, the Kazakh star declared the surface the slowest he has ever encountered indoors.
“Yeah. Very slow. I think the slowest indoor hard court I played in my life for sure. By far, by far, by far,” Bublik stated in a chat with reporters, including Tennis Majors.
The statement caused a stir, even among reporters familiar with player complaints about slow surfaces. “You’re the first one to say that,” a reporter questioned, perhaps confusing Bublik’s specific claim with general comments about the court being slow.
Bublik quickly doubled down, distinguishing his comment from previous, less extreme feedback. “What do you mean? [No one is] the first one who says it’s fast. Slowest indoor, yes, but where is slower? Let’s calculate.” The outspoken star then compared the new Paris court to other indoor circuit stops. Vienna was “faster,” he said, though he noted it was due to the balls. Montpellier is “fast.” Marseille is “quite the same,” he admitted.
By far, by far, by far
He then reflected on the tournament’s previous home, the Accor Arena, which was infamous for its lightning-quick surfaces on the smaller courts. “Court number one was a lightning. It was ice. You can skate on the court. The center court was slow, but court number one was ice skating, okay?”
The court speed has been a major topic following the move to the new venue. Other players, including World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, had also noted that the court had been slowed down compared to previous editions. Tournament Director Cédric Pioline confirmed that this was intentional. “It was our intention to slow it down. The players have noticed and seem satisfied, which is important for us,” Pioline said.
Pioline : “There is never truly a consensus”
Pioline acknowledged the challenge of satisfying everyone. “There is never truly a consensus; all players do not share the same opinion. But we tried to find the broadest possible consensus with the largest number of players. We also listen to feedback from the ATP, as they organize this tournament. They commented that the courts in the 2024 edition were too fast. We tried to adapt and make a change. We will see if we succeeded in finding the right speed for this edition.”
Pioline also pointed out that the surface will evolve over the week. “We also have a resin surface that becomes increasingly slick as we play on it. The difference between the start of the tournament and the days that follow is obvious.”
