Bublik : “The Paris Masters court is slower than clay”

The Rolex Paris Masters, relocated to a new venue this year, is featuring one of the slowest indoor hard courts Alexander Bublik says he’s ever played on – so slow, he believes it plays slower than clay.

Bublik, a semifinalist in Paris (Saturday against Auger-Aliassime), offered a detailed assessment of the court conditions, centering his observations on how the surface changes the ball’s movement after it bounces.

“It’s definitely slower than clay, in my opinion,” Bublik said. The difference, he explained, comes down to the “whip” effect players rely on for power and spin, which the new surface appears to absorb.

“On clay you have a higher bounce… and on clay the ball has more speed after it bounces. So after the bounce, it can generate the spin. You can move an opponent back with using a topspin,” he said.

Missing the ‘Whip’ of CLAY

That dynamic, Bublik noted, is missing in the Paris venue, diminishing the effectiveness of powerful strokes and kick serves.

“If you do a great topspin or a great kick serve, you don’t have this whip that puts opponent back on their back foot. So that’s the biggest difference.”

The Kazakh concluded that the change makes this court stand out: “That’s why the indoor hard, especially this one, is one of the slowest I have played, yes.”

The tournament’s move to the new venue, the Paris La Défense Arena, has been marked by a significant reduction in court speed, according to official data, which shows a drop of over 25% from last year’s unusually fast surface. Bublik’s comments reinforce the notion that players accustomed to the traditionally quick Paris courts are having to adjust their tactics to accommodate the far slower conditions.

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