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Bates was on tour between 1980 and 1996. He rarely played on a slow court.

“In that period of time, there were two completely separate tours,” he explained.

“You had all the players who played on the clay, and then you had everyone else who played on the fast courts and the only time you would see the clay court players would be at the French [Open] and the only time we would see them would be at Wimbledon and the other Slams.

“All the indoor courts we played on were super slick. It was a question of how quick you could get to the net.”

“Most of the top 20 were serve-volleying. Some were playing from the back of the court. That’s what actually made it interesting to watch because you had two completely contrasting game styles, and now you are in a situation where the vast majority of players you watch just cancel each other out.”

Patrick Mouratoglou, the former coach of Serena Williams, says the move to slow down the courts “killed a generation of serve and volley players”.

“But I think it is better for the game because otherwise you would have too many aces and serve winners, which I think is very boring,” he said.

“If you think about it, tennis is very slow. Ace is one second of play, and 30 seconds of wait on tour, which is crazy when you think about it – especially in today’s world when consumers don’t wait that much, and when there is no action you lose them.

And what if the Cincinnati tournament tried to increase their court speed still further?

“We would hear it, we would definitely hear it from the players,” Moran continued.

“I think we were a little bit faster than normal last year. Players were telling us we were wicked fast last year – almost like ice. I don’t know if we could get much faster than we were last year.”

“In my mind great points, point construction, rallies – I think that’s what the fans are looking for.”

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Alexander Zverev thinks that tournament organizers throughout the sport of tennis are rigging the courts to ensure that Carlos Alcarez and Jannik Sinner have deep runs.

Speaking on the court after his win over Valentin Royer at the Shanghai Masters, Zverev claimed that tournament directors were taking variety out of the types of courts to help Alcaraz and Sinner because they “prefer” them having success:

“I hate when it’s the same, to be honest. I think the tournament directors are going towards that direction because, obviously, they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament, and that’s what they prefer. Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I don’t like it. I’m not a fan of it. I think tennis needs different game styles, tennis needs a little bit of variety, and I think we’re lacking that right now.”

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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Alexander Zverev says tournament organizers are slowing down tennis courts to favor Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Zverev, the world No. 3, overcame an injury scare to beat Valentin Royer 6-4, 6-4 at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday but then voiced his displeasure with the way he felt the sport was heading.

“I hate when it’s the same, to be honest,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “I think the tournament directors are going towards that direction because, obviously, they want Jannik and Carlos to do well every tournament, and that’s what they prefer.

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“Nowadays, you can play almost the same way on every surface. I don’t like it. I’m not a fan of it. I think tennis needs different game styles, tennis needs a little bit of variety, and I think we’re lacking that right now.”

Alcaraz and Sinner are the only two players to hold the No. 1 ranking since June 2024. They split this year’s four Grand Slams, and both are coming off title wins — Sinner at the China Open and Alcaraz at the Japan Open — though Alcaraz is missing the Shanghai Masters because of a left ankle injury.

Zverev had to be treated on court for a toe injury when serving for the match at 5-4, but it did not halt his progress.

“I landed funny on my toe, and after that I could barely do a step, so we’ll see what it is,” he said. “We will see if I will ever be healthy this year again, because it’s been a struggle, but I’m happy to be through.”

PA contributed to this report.

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Cricket scorecards often tell us the “what.†The “howâ€, defined by the poise in the crease, the timing in the cover drive and the quiet hum of self-belief, is harder to capture.

The crease has always been part stage, part classroom. Some players storm through it with noise, others treat it like a test of patience.

Pratika Rawal belongs to the second kind. She is a student before she is a star, her game built on the same balance and discipline that once carried her through school exams and basketball courts.

So, when she walked out in Rajkot in January, it didnâ€t feel like a youngster gambling on a big stage. It felt like someone solving a familiar problem with method and clarity.

Every step into position was measured, every shot an answer written neatly in the margins. By the time she raised her bat for her maiden century, she had turned an innings into a lesson. And when she carried on to 154 off 129 balls, that lesson became a statement.

It wasnâ€t the noise of a prodigy. It was the unveiling of a portrait: clean footwork, soft hands, and when the moment demanded, the precision to turn patience into power. It was a sense of a player arriving on her own terms.

Classrooms meet crease

Rawalâ€s story doesnâ€t begin with cricket dominating every waking hour. It begins in Delhi classrooms, at Modern School, where grades and games shared equal weight.

She scored 92.5% in her CBSE boards and later graduated in psychology from Jesus and Mary College.

Along the way, she also played basketball seriously enough to win gold at the 2019 School National Games.

That duality shaped her cricket. Basketball gave her agility and vision. Psychology gave her tools to navigate stress. Cricket became the canvas that tied it all together.

She admits as much in a BCCI video, almost as if speaking a thesis aloud: “Studying psychology helped me understand how we mentally process things on the field and off the field.”

Before every match she repeats a mantra, “You know you are the best, you can do this.” The self-talk may sound simple, but for her it is ritual, sharpening focus in the chaos of international sport.

Numbers become narratives

Since her debut in late 2024, Pratika Rawal has stacked up 767 runs in 15 ODIs, averaging north of 54. In the process, she sprinted past the 500-run mark faster than any woman before her.

Statistics donâ€t crown legends, but they sketch their outlines. And in Rawalâ€s case, the picture forming is hard to ignore.

At the top she partners Smriti Mandhana, and the chemistry is immediate. Mandhanaâ€s flamboyance pairs with Rawalâ€s calm, a balance that disorients bowlers.

Suddenly, opponents have two problems to solve instead of one, and Indiaâ€s batting feels less fragile. The effect is subtle but seismic.

Detours do matter

Her rise might read like an upward curve now, but there were dips. In 2023-24 she trialled for Railways and was overlooked.

Many players would stew on the rejection. Rawal went back to the domestic grind, piling up runs until selection became undeniable.

By the time Railways signed her, she had already toughened her mindset. That refusal to panic has become a defining trait.

“Her rhythm and focus set her apart,” recalls one of her early coaches, Sharvan Kumar from Rohtak Road Gymkhana. “Even as a teenager, she didnâ€t look rushed.”

That composure, born not from easy breaks but from detours and delays, has become Rawal’s quiet superpower.

Composure before fire

As India began their three-match series against Australia ahead of the World Cup run-up, Rawal once again showed her promise with 64 fluent runs at the top.

It wasnâ€t quite the match-winning knock India needed, but it was a reminder of the stability that she brings into the team.

She steps in where Shafali Vermaâ€s inconsistency once left gaps. Where many young players chase quick boundaries, Rawal first builds a foundation.

Her 154 against Ireland showed she can shift gears too, knowing exactly when to turn patience into acceleration. And beneath it all lies her greatest asset: temperament.

Pratika Rawal during her 154 against Ireland (Photo credit: BCCI Women/Twitter)

For a batting order that has long craved stability, Rawal doesnâ€t just bring shots – she brings calm before the storm.

Itâ€s not just about what she scores. Itâ€s about what her presence unlocks for the rest of the line-up.

Beyond the cricket

Cricket, for Rawal, is no separate chapter than life. The discipline of studying, the experience of being told “not yet†at Railways trials, the grounding of playing basketball and excelling academically – all of it adds up to the player she is.

She is as comfortable speaking about routines and mindset as she is about cover drives.

In a way, thatâ€s what makes her story resonate. She isnâ€t the archetype of a prodigy who sacrificed everything else for cricket. She is the student who learned across fields and classrooms and brought it all to the crease.

If India’s World Cup journey catches fire, Pratika Rawal may not be its loudest headline. However, she could very well be its axis – the one stitching innings, keeping chaos at bay.

And what stage could be grander for a WC debut than home soil, where every cheer carries familiar weight? Perhaps even the stage where she helps deliver the trophy India has long chased.

For now, though, the noise around her is mixed. After Indiaâ€s loss in the series opener, some voices have rushed to pin blame on her 64, as though steadiness at the top was the problem rather than the solution.

It is the reactionary chorus young players often face. However, Rawalâ€s entire journey has been about resilience.

The next match offers her the perfect canvas to prove once more why psychology and poise, as much as cover drives, may be her greatest weapons.

Cricket has its share of showstoppers. Rawal is something rarer: the player who makes brilliance look routine. And in a long tournament, that routine might be exactly what makes India dangerous.

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Aug 28, 2025, 11:40 PM ETNEW YORK — Playing conditions have been a talking point over the first few days…