Former coach of Venus Williams highlights problem in tennis that is finally being addressed

The issue of court speed has been simmering for some time now, with complaints growing over how surfaces are being altered at ATP Tour events.

The discussion really took off in 2025 when Roger Federer spoke out, suggesting that faster courts would benefit the men’s tour.

Alexander Zverev then added fuel to the fire by suggesting that the ATP was slowing courts deliberately to favour Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

This was particularly noticeable at the Shanghai and Paris Masters, where both events opted for noticeably slower surfaces compared to previous years.

More recently, David Witt, who once coached Venus Williams, has brought attention back to the issue while also highlighting changes in the type of balls being used across both tours.

David Witt offers his thoughts on ball changes and playing conditions

During an appearance on Inside-In, Witt said, “The biggest thing now is that they are changing the balls. Every week, it seems that the balls are fluffing up or not fluffing up, or flying through the air too much. They are too light.

“That is a big thing that I think they are doing a better job of having blocks throughout the year where they are playing with the same ball for x amount of tournaments, or a couple of months and then switching.

“And the court speed. I mean, the court speed, when you have a ball that is fluffing up and then the court looks like sandpaper. I don’t know why you would do the combination.

“It’s like a clay court, I’m sure the players that love playing on slow clay probably love that.

“But, at the same time, you want it to be fair and if you hit a good shot you want to be rewarded for it. You can’t hit a winner, the balls are so fluffed up and the courts are so slow.”

How Masters 1000 court speeds have shifted in 2026

Data from courtspeed.com shows that since 2017, most ATP Masters 1000 events have generally seen their surfaces play quicker, with Paris and Shanghai standing as exceptions.

Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Canada and Cincinnati all saw increases in their court pace index (CPI) in 2025 compared to eight years prior.

This year has brought a slight reversal of that trend at the top tier outside of the Grand Slams. Two of the first three Masters events have seen slower conditions compared to last season.

Indian Wells increased significantly from 30.9 to 39 CPI, while both Monte-Carlo (29 to 26.7) and Miami (40.7 to 40) experienced modest drops.

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