Alcaraz criticizes the balls in Shanghai: "The tournament should look into this"

Carlos Alcaraz has had a disastrous day at the ATP Shanghai, where he suffered a resounding defeat against Zizou Bergs in the third round, ending his Asian tour. During the match, the Spanish tennis player complained about the bounce of the balls and their slowness compared to his debut, something he emphasized again in the press conference.

After dropping his serve at 5-5 in the first set, Alcaraz vented to his bench, saying that each shot from his opponent bounced differently and that the conditions were very different from his match against Juanma Cerúndolo or from his training sessions. This led to him not feeling comfortable at any point against Bergs, returning much worse than he is accustomed to and playing below his usual level. When asked about it, the Spanish player didn't hold back and sent a message to the tournament.

Alcaraz claims that Bergs had some luck in beating him in Shanghai

Today was not a good match for me. I didn't play well. I would say my level was really low, while his was very high. Even so, I found it to be a close match. There were key moments when I didn't perform at my best. I also think he had some luck at certain moments. There were returns and shots where he hit with the frame of the racket, the ball went in, and he could continue playing the point. He knew how to take advantage of those moments because, after that stroke of luck, he played some really good points. 

He showed a great level at key moments. I expected to have some luck in specific moments of the match, but it didn't come. That's tennis. He knew how to seize his opportunities when they presented themselves, and that's all there is to it. Now all that's left for me is to go back home, prepare for what's to come, get back to training, and try to play better in the next tournament.

Critique of the balls and the court conditions

To be honest, in the first round I felt that the court was really fast. Today I didn't have the same sensation. It's strange to perceive the court and conditions so differently in just two days. Obviously, in the first round, I played with the roof closed. Today I played outdoors. I noticed it was different. In the first round, I felt everything was very fast; today the ball felt bigger and a bit slower. I don't know why. It's strange, something they should review.

Positivity despite the loss

Yes, of course. I have played great tournaments. Obviously, it's very hard to focus on the positives from today; for now, I haven't processed it yet. I will try to think clearly in the next few days. Right now all the negative thoughts come to my mind and none of the positives, but I think I will focus on the good of having played those matches. I will be able to review the matches with my coach and my team; that will be a great help for the next tournament. I'm happy with my level of play lately and, obviously, with the positive balance of the recent tournaments.

Alcaraz reveals what upset him most about his level against Bergs

Well, I would say everything. To be honest, I didn't play as I wanted; I made a lot of mistakes. I couldn't find a good position to return. Lately, I had been returning quite well, but today I didn’t find the right position. Obviously, he deserves credit; I would say he serves really well, but when I managed to get into a rhythm and exchange shots, I made a lot of mistakes. I didn't feel comfortable with the shots. I’m very disappointed with today’s match because I didn't find the solution. I would say I simply made too many unforced errors.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz raja de las pelotas en Shanghai: "El torneo debería mirar esto"