Alexander Zverev Shares His Thoughts on the New Venue of the Paris Masters After His Opening Match Win
Alexander Zverev will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters.
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Alexander Zverev (via X/Jose Morgado)
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Alexander Zverev claimed a decisive victory at the Rolex Paris Masters after coming from a set down to beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the second round. However, the World No.3 was more excited about the new venue of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. The year’s edition of the event marks a new chapter after relocating to a new venue in Paris.
From 1986 to 2024, the Paris Masters was played in their memorable home at the Accor Arena in the French capital. After 38 years at the Accor Arena, actions were put in place for the prestigious tournament to be moved to the La Defense Arena, a stunning venue that ushers in an exciting chapter for the competition.
However, one of the biggest complaints about the new venue is that the surface of the court has become slow-paced. The tournament has been known to be one of the fastest Indoor courts in the ATP in recent years. A few weeks ago, Roger Federer and Zverev had suggested that tournaments were making their courts slow-paced just to help Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz win more titles.
Nonetheless, Zverev took to the court on Wednesday (October 29) against Ugo Carabelli. The German star began the match poorly, giving the Argentine star free points, but in the second set, he reset his game. He fought to beat Carabelli 6(5)-7, 6-1, 7-5 to book a place in the round of 16 of the Paris Masters.
During Zverev’s press conference at the Paris Masters, he was asked about the brand new venue of the tournament. The 28-year-old revealed that the facilities of the tournament have improved, particularly the court and locker room. He added that they are better than how they were at the previous venue:
Yes, of course. There are a lot of things here that have definitely improved. For example, the players’ area, the locker rooms, the restaurant—all of it is much more comfortable, that’s a fact. However, there are also aspects that I probably liked better at the previous stadium. The Centre Court there, for example, was simply magnificent. Here, it’s a little different. I played on Centre Court, and it felt like I was watching a Davis Cup match between Felix and Alexandre Müller in the stands.
Zverev is seeking to win his second title of the season at the Paris Masters. The German star won the tournament for the first time in his career last year after beating home favorite Ugo Humbert in straight sets. The 2025 season has not been his best, but the Vienna Open runner-up hopes to end it on a high note.
Alexander Zverev says he didn’t expect his second round opponent to play well at the Paris Masters
Alexander Zverev improved his head-to-head record against Camilo Ugo Carabelli to 2-0 following his three sets win in Paris. The World No.3 broke the Argentine twice in the second and sixth games before serving out 6-1 to push the match to a decider. In the third set, Carabelli surprisingly broke Zverev to lead 3-1.
The Argentine star looked destined to win the match with the lead, but Zverev replied immediately, leveling the score 3-3. It was in the eleventh game that Zverev then broke Carabelli to win the tie 6(5)-7, 6-1, 7-5. During the aforementioned press conference, Zverev admitted that he didn’t expect his opponent to play in the manner he did:
Definitely it was a good win. Especially after a tough loss last week. To come out here, and I didn’t expect him to play the way he did, to be perfectly honest. It’s something I have to learn from. I played him in Rome, and he was nowhere near that level. That’s a mistake from me. I have to prepare better for my opponents, but he was fantastic today.
Zverev will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the round of 16. Fokina, who has reached four finals this season without winning any defeated home favorite Arthur Cazaux in straight sets despite the boos from the crowd. However, Zverev leads their head-to-head record 5-1 on tour.
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