Carlos Alcaraz vents after his shocking loss: the Murcia native’s comments are sparking debate

While it’s true that the Shanghai tournament has never been particularly successful for Carlos Alcaraz (his best result remains the quarterfinals, reached in the 2024 edition), it’s also true that very few expected the Murcia native to bow out of the season’s penultimate Masters 1000 as early as the third round, falling to Zizou Bergs in two sets. The world No. 3, who appeared rather nervous on the court, carried that same tension into the press conference, bluntly criticizing the court conditions and the balls provided.

“Today I had some very strange feelings. From one point to the next, the ball seemed to behave differently: one moment it would bounce high, the next it would stay low. I don’t want to make excuses for the loss, but the conditions seemed much slower to me compared to the first round and practice. The balls felt heavier, and I couldn’t adjust. I find it strange to notice such a marked change in just two days. “I think this is something the organizers should consider,” said Alcaraz.

Inevitably, Alcaraz’s comments sparked mixed reactions, especially on social media: on one hand, there are those who agree with him, explaining that other players have also voiced similar complaints and called for standardization of the balls and hard courts; on the other hand, there are those who see it as an excuse to avoid talking about a bad day, trying to shift the focus to other factors.

Alcaraz, in any case, did not want to downplay Bergs’ success: “He got lucky on a few occasions, but that’s part of the game—tennis is like that, and you have to be good at capitalizing on opportunities. As for me, this is a painful loss; I arrived here in Shanghai feeling very confident, but instead I have to deal with a poor performance. Zizou, on the other hand, played brilliantly—he put on a top-notch performance.”